Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a small, battery-powered oxygen-generating gel designed to heal chronic diabetic foot ulcers, a condition that frequently leads to limb amputation when standard treatments fail. The soft, flexible gel works by splitting water into oxygen through electrolysis and delivering it directly into wound tissue for up to a month. If the technology translates from its current preclinical success in mice to human patients, it could offer a practical alternative to amputation for millions of people living with diabetes.
Why Diabetic Wounds Resist Healing
Chronic wounds spiral out of control in diabetic patients largely because oxygen cannot reach the deepest layers of injured tissue. Damaged blood vessels and persistent inflammation starve cells of the oxygen they need to rebuild, creating a cycle where tissue breaks down faster than the body can repair it. Without intervention, these wounds often progress to severe infection and, eventually, limb loss. Foundational research using db/db diabetic mouse models has shown that inhibiting antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and glutathione peroxidase with agents like 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole and mercaptosuccinic acid can reliably produce long-lasting nonhealing wounds that closely mimic the chronic wounds seen in human patients.
That same oxidative stress mechanism has been refined in subsequent work. A modified dosing protocol using intraperitoneal ATZ and topical MSA was shown to induce chronic wound conditions in diabetic mice while reducing animal mortality, producing wound environments marked by delayed contraction and sustained inflammation. These models gave the UC Riverside team a reliable testing ground that closely replicates the conditions found in human diabetic foot ulcers, where oxygen deprivation is the central barrier to recovery. By designing a gel that can deliver oxygen deep into these hypoxic pockets, the researchers aimed to interrupt the destructive feedback loop that keeps diabetic wounds from closing.
How the SSOT Gel Generates Oxygen at the Wound Site
The gel, formally described as the SSOT platform in a peer-reviewed study published in Communications Materials, is a hydrogel and electrode system that uses electrolysis to generate oxygen on demand. It is made with water and a choline-based liquid that is antibacterial, nontoxic, and biocompatible. When paired with a small battery similar to those found in hearing aids, the gel becomes a miniature electrochemical machine that splits water molecules to release oxygen directly into the wound bed. The system includes on/off control and tunable oxygen output, allowing clinicians to adjust delivery based on a patient’s needs and the stage of healing.
What sets this approach apart from existing topical oxygen therapies is its ability to reach tissue that surface-level treatments miss. Conventional methods deliver oxygen to the wound surface but struggle to penetrate irregular wound geometry. The UC Riverside gel, by contrast, conforms to the unique shape of each wound, filling crevices where hypoxic tissue is most vulnerable. In mouse experiments, the gel required only weekly replacement while sustaining oxygen delivery for up to a month, according to the UC Riverside research team. The choline-based chemistry also offers antibacterial properties, addressing infection risk alongside oxygen deprivation in a single device, and early engineering tests showed that the electrochemical reactions could be maintained within safe temperature and current limits for delicate tissue.
Earlier Trials Already Showed Oxygen Therapy Works
The UC Riverside gel did not emerge in a vacuum. A separate multicentre, open, randomized controlled clinical trial previously tested continuous topical oxygen therapy as an adjunct to standard care in patients with hard-to-heal diabetic foot ulcers and minor amputation wounds. That trial, registered as NCT02313428, enrolled patients based on specific inclusion criteria including age, ulcer duration, Wagner grades, and wound size thresholds. Its results showed higher complete wound closure at 12 weeks in the topical oxygen arm compared to standard care alone, according to findings reported in a wound care journal that focused on difficult diabetic ulcers.
The same research group provided a more detailed analysis of these outcomes in a supplementary issue of the Journal of Wound Care, emphasizing that oxygen is a key limiting factor in chronic diabetic wounds even when other aspects of care are optimized. Those trial results established that delivering supplemental oxygen to diabetic wounds can meaningfully accelerate healing under controlled clinical conditions. But the delivery method in that trial, continuous topical application, still faced the surface-penetration limitations that the UC Riverside gel is engineered to overcome. The SSOT platform’s ability to generate oxygen from within the wound itself, instead of applying it externally, represents a distinct mechanical advantage. If human trials confirm what the mouse data suggests, the gel could build on the clinical foundation laid by the earlier randomized trial and extend its benefits to wounds that resist even continuous surface oxygen therapy.
Preclinical Promise and the Road to Human Use
The gap between a successful mouse study and a treatment available to patients remains significant. The UC Riverside team has demonstrated biocompatibility and engineering characterization of oxygen generation levels over time, but no human clinical trial data exists for the SSOT gel. Regulatory filings with the FDA have not been publicly disclosed, and no cost-effectiveness analysis has been published. The preclinical results, while encouraging, rely on diabetic mouse wound models that, despite being carefully designed to mimic human chronic wounds, cannot fully replicate the complexity of healing in human patients with multiple comorbidities, varying circulation, and different infection profiles.
Still, the unmet need is stark. Diabetic foot ulcers remain one of the leading causes of non-traumatic lower limb amputation, and existing wound care protocols fail a substantial portion of patients, even when debridement, offloading, and infection control are applied rigorously. The UC Riverside announcement, authored by Jules Bernstein for the university’s news office, frames the gel as a potential bridge between current therapies and a future where fewer diabetic patients face the loss of a limb. As summarized in a related release, the researchers suggest that the gel may offer more consistent oxygen delivery than traditional dressings and could help reestablish healthier conditions for tissue repair, a view echoed in a ScienceDaily overview of the work. Moving from this promise to clinical reality will require carefully designed human studies to determine not only whether the gel accelerates healing but also how it fits into complex care pathways that include vascular surgery, infection management, and long-term diabetes control.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
