Preventing injuries and promoting healing

CSIRO is developing medical textiles for injury prevention, wound management and improved recovery.

• 11 September 2008 | Updated 14 October 2011

• The capability
• How CSIRO uses it
• Who else is involved? 

CSIRO is using its extensive expertise in textile design, manufacture and testing to develop wool-based textiles for two kinds of novel medical applications:

• injury prevention limb covers to avoid or reduce skin tears and other skin injuries in the elderly
• advanced wound management products with integrated sensor and response technologies, to promote improved healing of burns, scars, ulcers, and other skin injuries.

The capability

Our areas of expertise in this field include:

• knowledge of how the physics and chemistry of fibres affect fabric properties
• design and manufacture of specialised textiles for medical applications
• surface modification of textiles to improve wound management
• wearable body mapping sensor technology
• integration of electronics into textile structures, and the use of this know-how to develop sensor technologies for wound management textiles.

How CSIRO uses it

CSIRO works with clinicians and aged care facilities to assess injury and wound repair problems and possible solutions.

Our researchers design prototype textile devices in collaboration with commercial partners. These are manufactured at CSIRO’s textile facilities for clinical assessment.

Who else is involved?

With funding from Australian Wool Innovation, CSIRO partnered with a leading international medical products supplier with extensive experience in conducting clinically approved trials and bringing new products to market to complete preliminary trials in three nursing homes.

The initial nursing home trials have proved successful. CSIRO is now seeking to finalise this research through formal clinical trials.

Read about CSIRO's work in Medical Devices.