7 areas of innovative solutions in medical textiles

From Fast Company

Textiles and innovation aren't two words that generally go hand in hand. That's about to change, according to the folks at the European Center of Innovative Textiles (CETI), in Lille, France.

The organization inaugurated its new headquarters last year.  Its goal is creating better, more high-tech solutions across a number of industries. Their current projects show that potential.

Specific to health care, CETI is working to develop new fabric for wound dressing, in which medicine, antivirals, and antibacterials are already integrated into the fibers. Looking further to the future, the organization envisions nonwoven textiles that can be used as a "seed" to rebuild tissue.

Medical, sport & leisure, hygiene, and protection represent over 25% of technical textiles market in value and volume. 

Medical textiles offer innovation solutions in the following application sectors:

1. wound care,
2. regenerative medicine,
3. filtration,
4. hospital hygiene,
5. implants,
6. orthoses and
7. personal independence