Smart Gel Dressing Calms Inflammation and Helps Wounds Heal Naturally

Börte Emiroglu and Apoorv Singh, the two founders of the start-up Immunosponge, in the laboratory at ETH.  (Image: Gian Marco Castelberg / ETH Zurich).

Chronic wounds are a hidden crisis in healthcare. For many people with diabetes or poor blood circulation, small injuries can turn into long-lasting, painful wounds that simply won’t heal. These wounds stay open for months or even years, trapping the body in a cycle of inflammation and blocking the natural healing process. Now, a young researcher from ETH Zurich is working on a promising solution that could change how we treat these stubborn wounds.

Börte Emiroglu, a biomedical engineer originally from Turkey, is developing an advanced wound dressing that does more than protect the skin—it actively helps it recover. Her innovation is a soft, jelly-like hydrogel made of microscopic beads, each carefully designed to remove harmful signals from the wound while encouraging the growth of healthy tissue. Emiroglu and her co-founder Apoorv Singh have launched a start-up called Immunosponge to bring this technology to patients who need it most.

This new dressing works differently from the traditional methods used today. In most chronic wounds, the body’s immune system overreacts. Instead of moving from inflammation to healing, it gets stuck in the first phase—producing too many inflammatory signals that slow down recovery. Emiroglu’s hydrogel is designed to absorb these signals.

But it doesn’t just soak up everything. It acts more like a smart filter, keeping helpful molecules in place while removing the ones that cause damage. This balance is key to helping the wound shift from inflammation to regeneration.

The material looks and feels like jelly, but inside, it’s made up of thousands of tiny particles called microgels. Each of these microgels is coated with surface molecules known as ligands. These ligands work like keys, locking onto specific inflammatory messengers and pulling them out of the wound. Unlike a normal sponge that absorbs everything, this smart material removes only the harmful components and leaves behind the ones that promote healing.

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Emiroglu says the inspiration came from nature. In the human body, especially in complex tissues, cells communicate through organized systems that manage the flow of signals. Her hydrogel mimics this natural communication. The result is a material that not only supports healing but can be customized depending on the patient’s needs. If the inflammation in one person is caused by a certain molecule, the gel can be adjusted to target that specific trigger. In another patient, with a different cause, the composition can be changed accordingly. This flexibility makes the technology suitable for many types of wounds and patients.

While the current focus is on external wounds, such as diabetic ulcers or pressure sores, Emiroglu believes the hydrogel can also help with internal injuries. Tissues like bones, cartilage, and tendons often heal slowly due to limited blood supply. In these areas, an intelligent material that can guide the healing process may offer significant benefits. Instead of using suction-based wound systems or dry dressings that remove all moisture, this new dressing aims to treat the root cause of the problem: chronic inflammation.

The journey from idea to real-world product hasn’t been easy. Emiroglu admits that she didn’t plan to start a company when she began her research. But as her doctoral work at ETH Zurich progressed, she saw the potential to turn her findings into a medical tool. She officially began her Pioneer Fellowship in April 2025—a program that helps researchers develop their innovations into real products. Behind the scenes, she had already been working for over a year to understand the market, connect with doctors and hospitals, and prepare the hydrogel for clinical use.

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Emiroglu has shifted her mindset from academic research to patient-centered design. In the lab, researchers often focus on theory and data. Now, she’s talking directly to healthcare workers—learning about their challenges, their routines, and what kind of solutions would actually make a difference. She says these conversations have changed her perspective and helped her design a product that is not only innovative but also practical.

She is taking a careful, steady approach to development. Instead of rushing to launch, Immunosponge is focusing on long-term success. Emiroglu believes it’s more important to build a product that truly helps people, rather than pushing something to market too quickly. “It’s not about speed,” she says. “It’s about quality and impact.”

Looking ahead, she hopes that in five or ten years, the smart hydrogel dressing will be available in hospitals and clinics, helping people recover from wounds that were once considered untreatable. But she’s also realistic—development takes time, and there are still many steps ahead. What matters most to her is staying open, staying focused, and continuing to learn.

From not knowing what a hydrogel was at the beginning of her PhD to developing one that may help solve a global medical problem, Emiroglu’s journey is a story of curiosity, determination, and care. Her work could change the lives of millions of people around the world—one smart wound dressing at a time.