能感知体温的新型创可贴，可加速愈合，减少疤痕

When you get a small cut or scrape you probably reach for an ordinary bandage, which is typically nothing more than an adhesive strip holding a tiny patch of sterile padding. It’s a simple design that has stood the test of time, but researchers from Harvard’s Wyss Institute think they’ve come up with something even better.

当你被割伤或刮伤时，你可能会去拿一个普通的绷带，它通常不过是一个带着一小块无菌布的胶条。这个简单的设计经受住了时间的考验，但哈佛大学维斯研究所的研究人员认为他们已经想出了更好的办法。

The researchers took a cue from nature, designing a new kind of wound covering that not only speeds up the healing process but can actually reduce scarring as well. Inspired by the fragile skin of animal embryos which can heal itself without leftover scars, the new dressing is impressively high-tech but also incredibly simple to use.

研究人员从大自然中得到了启示，设计了一种新的伤口覆盖物，不仅可以加快愈合过程，而且实际上还可以减少疤痕。灵感来自动物胚胎脆弱的皮肤，这种皮肤可以自行愈合，不会留下疤痕。新的敷料是令人印象深刻的高科技，但使用起来也非常简单。

The bandages use a heat-activated hydrogel that doesn’t just cover a cut or gash, it actually contracts and pulls the edges of the wound together. It’s designed to begin working at temperatures of around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that it is activated by body heat alone, slowly shrinking and holding the edges of the wound in place to promote healing.

这种绷带使用的是一种热激活水凝胶，它不仅能覆盖伤口，还能收缩并将伤口边缘拉到一起。它的设计初衷是在华氏90度左右的温度下开始工作，这意味着它是由体温单独激活的，缓慢收缩，并保持伤口的边缘，以促进愈合。

The contraction of the bandage also helps secure it to the skin with greater strength than a standard adhesive bandage. To combat infection, silver nanoparticles are scattered throughout the dressing, naturally destroying microbes and protecting the skin as it heals.

绷带的收缩也有助于使它比标准的粘合绷带更牢固地固定在皮肤上。为了对抗感染，纳米银颗粒分散在敷料中，自然地破坏微生物，并在皮肤愈合时保护皮肤。

“The AAD bonded to pig skin with over ten times the adhesive force of a Band-Aid® and prevented bacteria from growing, so this technology is already significantly better than most commonly used wound protection products, even before considering its wound-closing properties,” Benjamin Freedman, PhD, leader of the work, said in a statement.

Benjamin Freedman博士，是这项工作的负责人，他在一份声明中表示，“AAD与猪皮肤的粘合力是普通创可贴的10倍以上，可防止细菌生长，因此，即使在考虑其伤口闭合特性之前，该技术已经明显优于最常用的伤口保护产品。”

The team still has some work to do before the new bandage technology could be commercialized, but they intend to conduct additional tests and studies and eventually bring it to market.

在这种新型绷带技术商业化之前，该团队还有一些工作要做，他们计划进行更多的测试和研究，最终将其推向市场。