A Wearable Bioelectronic Patch For Controlling Bacterial Pathogens Without Antibiotics

SUMMARY

A wearable patch using an acidic hydrogel and low-voltage electricity to safely reduce harmful bacteria on skin. The bioelectric system sensitizes bacteria, then modulates their behavior to prevent infection without antibiotics or high-voltage damage

The Unmet Need: Innovative strategies that can safely and locally modulate bacterial activity without compromising the surrounding tissue or contributing to resistance

• Bacterial infections on human skin present a persistent health challenge, necessitating effective and safe antimicrobial interventions. There is a critical demand for new strategies that can manage bacterial populations without the significant drawbacks of current approaches. This includes the imperative to minimize systemic side effects, preserve the skin's beneficial microbiota, and, crucially, combat the escalating global issue of antibiotic resistance, which diminishes the efficacy of many traditional therapies.

• Existing methods for addressing skin bacteria encounter considerable limitations. Conventional electrical treatments, such as high-voltage electroporation or electrochemical biocide generation, often operate at intensities that, while lethal to bacteria, simultaneously inflict irreversible damage upon surrounding healthy human tissue, severely restricting their practical clinical utility. Moreover, the widespread reliance on conventional antibiotic treatments contributes significantly to the development of drug-resistant bacterial strains and can induce undesirable systemic side effects, underscoring the urgent need for alternative, more targeted, and safer solutions.

The Proposed Solution: A wearable bioelectronic patch that employs an acidic hydrogel to locally lower skin pH, sensitizing bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis to subsequent low-voltage electrical stimulation

• The faculty inventor developed a wearable bioelectronic patch which incorporates an acidic hydrogel layer that, when applied to the skin, creates localized acidic conditions. This environment sensitizes resident bacteria, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, to subsequent electrical stimulation. A low-voltage electrical current is then applied through the patch, exploiting the bacteria's intrinsic electrophysiological properties. This process effectively reduces bacterial pathogenicity and inhibits their ability to colonize tissue without killing them, offering a localized and programmable approach to bacterial control.

• Unlike traditional electrical treatments that use high-voltage electroporation or electrochemical biocide generation, this method avoids tissue damage. It also offers advantages over conventional antibiotics by minimizing systemic side effects, reducing the development of resistance, and preserving beneficial microbiota through its localized application and programmable stimulation, representing a novel strategy in bioelectronic medicine.

FIGURE

ADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

• Uses low-voltage electrical stimulation, making it safe for human skin

• Reduces bacterial pathogenicity and limits their ability to colonize tissue

• Minimizes the development of antibiotic resistance

• Avoids systemic side effects and preserves beneficial microbiota due to localized application

APPLICATIONS

• Surgical site infection prevention

• Chronic wound infection control

• Acne and skin blemish treatment

• Diabetic foot ulcer prevention

• Dermatitis flare-up management

PUBLICATIONS

• Bioelectronic drug-free control of opportunistic pathogens through selective excitability. Kim, Saehyun et al. Device, Volume 2, Issue 11, 100596

August 14, 2025

Proof of concept

Patent Pending

Licensing,Co-development

Bozhi Tian