A consortium around Xiaoli ZHAO at CAS Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technologies prepared a hydrogel composed of catechol-modified quaternized chitosan and poly(d,l-lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(d,l-lactide, loaded with bioactive glass. When the hydrogel formed after injection into ruptured skin of mice, the skin was sealed and wound healing was accelerated, probably due to endothelial cells migration and angiogenesis stimulated by the nano-scale glass. Anti-bacterial activity towards S. aureas and E. coli was > 95%.

CAS news release, August 6, 2020