University of Texas Arlington

Biomask to help facial burns

A new mask under development could enhance the healing process and minimize scarring from severe facial burns, The Dallas Morning News reported. The biomask, which will act as a wound dressing, has the potential to heal burns in a more natural way, allowing more movement than skin grafts do. Eileen Moss, electrical engineer, and Muthu Wijesundara, research scientist at UT Arlington's Automation & Robotics Research Institute in Fort Worth, are developing the mask’s hardware. The project is funded with a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. UT Arlington’s researchers are working with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and Northwestern University in Chicago.