PatchPals Pitches Wound Care Evolution at ACC InVenture Prize

A team of biomedical engineering students will represent Georgia Tech at the ACC InVenture Prize Competition in South Bend, Indiana, pitching an invention that could improve wound care for chronic patients and efficiency in healthcare systems.  

Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy is commonly used to treat the 6.5 million people affected by chronic wounds annually, but dressing changes can be frequent and time-consuming. PatchPals aims to cut the time it takes to treat each patient by up to 30% by automating a critical step of the process using artificial intelligence.  

Initially developed by Aya Samadi and Deniz Onalir, BME 2024, for the pair's capstone design project in Spring 2024, PatchPals would allow nurses and technicians to take a photo of a wound, outline it, and upload it to the device, which begins cutting a precise piece of foam in 15 seconds. Typically, nurses must manually cut foam to fit each wound, which can be inexact. 

The project began with the goal of creating a better bandage for everyday cuts and scrapes, but conversations with medical professionals led them to think more broadly.  

"Each time we share our device with professionals in the field, they all have the same reaction, saying, 'Finally.' It's validating and rewarding to know that we were able to identify a real problem in healthcare and provide a potential solution," said Samadi, now a biomedical engineering graduate student. "By eliminating the biggest bottleneck in the wound care process, we're not just saving nurses time, we're ensuring patients get the treatment they need, without the wait."  

Through demos at the Emory Wound & Hyperbaric Center and other medical facilities, the team has been able to refine its product and understand its potential place in the wound care market. 

"If the foam doesn't fit the wound perfectly, it can damage the margins or lead to infections. As a nurse, I'd love to use this device in a clinical setting,” said Meg Winata, a medical student at Emory University. “Automating that process eliminates a lot of the human error of wound VAC dressing changes, so this could be a game-changer." 

Following Onalir's graduation, Samadi recruited two new team members, Valeria Perez and Hayden Johnson, both master's students in biomedical engineering, to help develop the product. PatchPals is the subject of a clinical study at the Emory Wound & Hyperbaric Center, and the team intends to gather patient data by the semester's end.  

As the device evolves, the team credits the Institute's resources for the ability to reach this milestone.  

“Georgia Tech has an amazing atmosphere around research and development and entrepreneurship. Without the AI makerspace or the BME design shop, we wouldn't be able to do any of the exploratory research into wound segmentation, automated cuttings, or create our prototypes," Johnson said.  

Perez added that the innovation begins in the classroom. "The BME curriculum is one where there are so many different project-based courses built into it, so it has given us a foundation to work on this device." 

PatchPals was selected by the judges during the on-campus portion of the competition to represent the Institute at the ACC final, where the winner receives $15,000 to continue the development of their invention. Along with the prize money, PatchPals aims to bring back-to-back titles to Georgia Tech following NeuroChamp's first-place finish in the 2024 competition.  

"Hopefully, we can start a dynasty," Johnson said.  

The team is also seeking support from the Georgia Tech community in pursuit of the People's Choice Award — a $5,000 prize determined by online and text voting during the televised final round on Wednesday at 7 p.m. To vote for PatchPals, text GATech to 415.965.7445.