Oxygen Gel May Prevent Diabetic Amputations

Researchers develop new oxygen-delivering gel to help chronic wounds heal and avoid limb loss.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Researchers at UC Riverside have developed a new oxygen-delivering gel designed to help chronic wounds, which significantly raise the risk of infection, tissue damage, and amputation, heal before they progress to limb loss. The soft and flexible gel acts like a miniature electrochemical device, splitting water molecules and steadily releasing oxygen over time to address the oxygen deprivation that prevents chronic wounds from healing.

Why it matters

As the population grows older and diabetes becomes more common, chronic wounds are affecting more people than ever. Approximately one in five of these patients will ultimately face an amputation, making this new gel technology an important advancement in preventing limb loss and improving quality of life for those suffering from chronic wounds.

The details

The gel is made with water and a choline-based liquid that is antibacterial, nontoxic, and biocompatible. When connected to a small battery, the material splits water molecules and steadily releases oxygen over time. Unlike treatments that supply oxygen only at the surface, this gel adapts to the exact shape of a wound and can maintain oxygen flow for up to a month, helping a stalled wound resume a more typical healing pattern. In tests on diabetic and older mice, whose wounds resemble chronic wounds in older adults, the oxygen-producing patch helped wounds heal in about 23 days.

  • Researchers studied diabetic and older mice because their wounds resemble chronic wounds in older adults.

The players

Iman Noshadi

UCR associate professor of bioengineering who led the research team.

Prince David Okoro

UCR bioengineering doctoral candidate in Noshadi's lab and paper co-author.

Baishali Kanjilal

UCR bioengineer and co-author.

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What they’re saying

“Chronic wounds don't heal by themselves. There are four stages to healing chronic wounds: inflammation, vascularization where tissue starts making blood vessels, remodeling, and regeneration or healing. In any of these stages, lack of a stable, consistent oxygen supply is a big problem.”

— Iman Noshadi, UCR associate professor of bioengineering (Mirage News)

“We could make this patch as a product where the gel may need to be renewed periodically.”

— Prince David Okoro, UCR bioengineering doctoral candidate (Mirage News)

“There are bandages that absorb fluid, and some that release antimicrobial agents. But none of them really address hypoxia, which is the fundamental problem. We're tackling that directly.”

— Prince David Okoro, UCR bioengineering doctoral candidate (Mirage News)

What’s next

The researchers plan to further develop the oxygen-generating gel technology and explore its potential for growing replacement tissues and organs.

The takeaway

This new oxygen-delivering gel represents an important advancement in treating chronic wounds, which significantly raise the risk of infection, tissue damage, and amputation. By directly addressing the underlying issue of oxygen deprivation, the gel could help prevent limb loss and improve quality of life for those suffering from these slow-healing injuries.