'SMART BANDAGE' DIAGNOSES DANGER

Rochester scientists have taken the first major step toward creating a bandage that changes color depending on whether bacteria may be present in a wound, a form of high-tech first aid that could alert patients to seek medical attention.

A project of the Center for Future Health, the "smart bandage" was developed by Benjamin Miller, assistant professor of chemistry, and Philippe Fauchet, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering and codirector of the center.

The two have devised an electronic wafer that can differentiate between two classes of bacteria, the first substantial improvement in identifying the two classes since the original technique was perfected in 1884.

The work was reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

With the accomplishment of accurately identifying bacteria with a silicon sensor, Miller and his team hope to expand the research to several other types of bacteria, including salmonella, listeria, and enteropathogenic E. coli, all of which can cause serious disease in humans.

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