Relevant Key Words:

Differential Wound Repair (Scarless, Scaring and non-healing), Ageing, Fibroblasts, Progenitor Cells, Extracellular Matrix, cell imaging, Biomaterials testing, animal replacements

Research Expertise relevant to tissue engineering & repair:

My research activities focus on the differences in the healing profiles of oral mucosal and skin wounds which heal with little/no or significant scar formation respectively and the non-healing status of chronic wounds.  I have already demonstrated (with Prof Khaw) that fibroblasts derived from oral tissues are phenotypically distinct from their skin counterparts with respect to their regulation of both matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, their matrix reorganisational abilities and their ageing profiles.  Further collaborations with Dr Jiang link this to altered Hepatocyte Growth Factor production between the cells.  This research is being taken forward by investigating the potential for oral progenitor cells and how these may assist in the preferential healing observed within the oral cavity (Drs Lewis, Sloan and Waddington).  With respect to the control of scarless wound healing, following my secondment to the laboratories of Prof Largman, we have demonstrated that the homoebox gene Prx-2 is involved in differentially controlling foetal and adult fibroblast responses.  Ongoing collaborations with Profs Thomas, Harding, Price, Kipling and Aeschlimann have demonstrated that chronic wound fibroblasts (from venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers) have premature senescence profiles which explain their deficiencies with respect to matrix reorganisation, metalloproteinase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase production and in their expression and production of transglutaminases.  Further projects are investigating cellular ageing and relative gene expression levels within scarless, scarring and non-healing fibroblasts and how this impacts on other elements of the wound healing process (Profs Thomas, Kipling and Hallet).  Linked to this work is the development of cell based disease reported assays which are aimed as reducing unnecessary animal experimentation (Dr Case, Dr Rodderick).  A collaboration with Prof Thomas and Drs Wilson and Williams is examining the microbiological profile of chronic wounds (at a culturable and molecular level) to demonstrate a link between the presence/amount of a particular microorganism(s) and the non-healing status of these wounds.  This work is being extended through a collaboration with Prof Espervik examining the role of Toll-like receptors in bacterial activation.  Furthermore, substantial funding from the EPSRC is driving research aimed at the production of a ’smart bandage’ that can report in real time the bacterial composition of these chronic wounds.  Collaborations with Dr Wright and Prof Williams are investigating the effects of nano-materials on cellular responses and their use as tissue engineering constructs and a project with Professor Duncan is also looking at how modulation of bio-polymers can influence cellular responses.  Lined to this is a project with Dr Issak aimed at visualising cellular migration within these biomaterials in real time and in a non-phototoxic way.  Commercial projects are investigating the role of dressings and wound healing bio-modulatory agents on cellular and microbial responses. 

School profile page

If you have reagents that may be of interest to the CITER Membership, e.g. cell lines, microbiological cultures. Please give a representative list below:

• Numerous primary and immortalised normal (oral and skin) and diseased (chronic venous leg ulcer, diabetic foot ulcer) cells lines
• Chronic wound bacterial cultures