Preventing infection to promote skin wound healing

Infection of skin wounds is a major barrier to healthy wound healing in the ageing population and in diabetes. These chronic skin wounds are susceptible to bacterial infection and in certain circumstances, the infection spreads and can result in lower limb amputation. Preventing infection of skin tissue of healing wounds is thus paramount. The project will develop and extend a human skin biopsy "wound healing" model recently established (within Norwich Skin Platform / https://www.uea.ac.uk/norwich-skin-platform/about) to mimic infection under disease conditions and to explore re-epithelialisation and resident immune cell responses to bacteria and products which may be beneficial to wound healing.