
08/09/2025
China creates flexible skin patch that repairs heart tissue after a heart attack
In a cutting-edge medical lab in Hangzhou, Chinese researchers have developed a wearable electronic skin patch that can be applied directly to the chest after a heart attack — helping damaged heart tissue regenerate using bioelectric pulses. It’s soft, wireless, and no surgery is required.
The patch is made of a stretchable graphene-elastomer material embedded with nanoelectrodes. These electrodes emit microcurrents that mimic the electrical signals of healthy heart muscle, encouraging surrounding cells to realign and divide. It's a form of bioelectric therapy that tricks the heart into believing it’s healing on its own.
In clinical trials on animal models, heart function improved by over 30% within six weeks. Scar tissue was reduced dramatically, and in some cases, new vascular networks formed around the damaged area. Most impressively, the device is fully wireless and battery-free — powered by motion-generated electricity from the patient’s breathing and movement.
The patch is applied like a sticker and requires no hospital setting. Patients simply wear it for several hours a day while resting. Data from the patch syncs with a phone app that alerts doctors if recovery stalls or complications arise.
Doctors see it as a game-changer for post-heart-attack care — especially in rural regions where advanced surgical treatment is unavailable.