Prosthetic limbs have long been helping people with lower limb amputations, but the resulting sweat has limited their full benefits, thus prompting a study from Widener University, writes Don Sapatkin for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

This has always been an issue despite ongoing technological advances. The basic problem is that the silicone liners used to create a tight, comfortable seal are so good that there’s no place for sweat to go.

According to Jon Akins, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Widener, this can cause painful sores and blisters that can make the prosthetic “essentially useless.”

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The new study from Widener will soon start enrolling participants in a clinical trial of a liner infused with phase-change material. This absorbs heat by changing from solid to liquid and releases it when it reverts back to solid.

The study is part of a $500,000 grant awarded to the University of Pittsburgh by the Department of Defense. The 25 Widener participants will use silicone liners both with and without the new material for six months, without knowing which they are using at the time.

Controlling “the micro-climate within a prosthesis socket entails better skin and tissue health,” said Akins.

Read more about the study in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.