AKQUA GEL (USA) | AI-enabled smart band for wound monitoring and care

In the coming years, it is projected that there will be a glaring shortage of healthcare workers worldwide. This of course poses a risk to patients everywhere but will be felt most acutely by historically underserved communities. Arya Anilkumar, Anna Huang, Aishwarya Reddy, Subiksha Srinivasan Vidya, and Elaine Zuo have seen this issue play out in their native Delaware, where hospital wait times increased by 200 percent from 1998 to 2018. The healthcare worker shortage extends beyond wait times, however, to include shortfalls in preventive healthcare access that then lead to more serious conditions later on. Thus, it is critical to devise solutions that will make the difficult job of health care easier for doctors everywhere. One such area that requires improvement is the wound-care market. Recognizing that wound care requires repeat visits that take up a disproportionate amount of physician time, the team devised a solution that allows practitioners to provide quality wound care in less time.

The result was AKQUA GEL, a hydrogel bandage mapped with sensors that monitors the conditions of a wound and provides the user with updates through a Bluetooth-connected app. Since patients and healthcare providers are both able to monitor the status of wounds remotely, AKQUA GEL reduces the likelihood of infection and maximizes the time of physicians. For their ingeniously practical solution, Arya, Anna, Aishwarya, Subiksha, and Elaine have earned the honor of being named Solve for Tomorrow Ambassadors.

A Smart, Sustainable Wound Dressing

AKQUA GEL represents a new beginning in the field of wound care technology. It goes beyond standard dressing to monitor wounds and infections with impedance and temperature sensors, as well as accelerate wound healing with its hydrogel properties. On top of this, it utilizes AI to detect infections while suggesting treatments, as well as a user-friendly breakdown of the patient’s healing developments. This system connects users to healthcare workers, provides users with wound care diagnostics, and improves healthcare for patients everywhere.

The team believes AKQUA GEL provides a unique opportunity as not only groundbreaking, but also sustainable and easily scalable. The bandage itself can be mass-produced at a reasonably low cost, the sensor can be adapted for various wound types, and the app can be translated into different languages. Since the biomarkers for inflammation are universal, the technology will be able to work in any clinic, hospital, or home setting around the world. On top of this, the digital platform can be adapted, and as the team collects more data, the more accurate diagnoses will become.

Currently, wearable tech generally monitors steps, heart rate, and glucose levels but not the biological markers of healing. With AKQUA GEL, patients can monitor inflammation, a key indicator of infection, in real time. Additionally, AI works as an agent that provides patients with next steps when they receive information regarding the progress of their wounds.

The Road to More Research

Of course, AKQUA GEL is not yet a ready-for-market product, but with the help of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, it is well on its way. The team has been able to identify additional biomarkers that can be used to improve the accuracy of their product. They’re also working toward improving the code, interface, and actual implementation of the app, which will allow for a smoother user experience that eliminates potential incidents of downtime and other possible inefficiencies. Finally, the team has updated AKQUA GEL’s sensor system, moving from monitoring only temperature and impedance to the inclusion of a pH sensor.

A Practical Aim for Worldwide Reach

With half of the population in low-income countries lacking access to essential health services, the aim of AKQUA GEL is to bridge the healthcare gap for millions of patients. The team plans to carry out more additional research on the product, specifically the creation of a cytotoxic laboratory procedure for the gel and a PCB design file. Eventually, the team hopes to obtain FDA approval, which would allow them to roll AKQUA GEL out to the public. From there, the aim is global reach and partnerships with hospitals and nonprofits to make their solution accessible to those who don’t have the resources for in-hospital healthcare.

First, the team plans to start local. They will partner with community clinics and school nurses initially before turning their attention to hospitals in areas with less access, such as rural hospitals. The idea is that once larger hospitals begin to notice even small reductions in cases as a result of AKQUA GEL, they will be eager to adopt it as a treatment tool and it will eventually reach care facilities all over the world. In the end, Arya, Anna, Aishwarya, Subiksha, and Elaine just want to see more people gain access to high-quality healthcare with better outcomes.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Ambassadors will be officially appointed at a ceremony held in Milan on Feb. 10-11, in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Find out more about Solve for Tomorrow at [link].