In this lecture we discovered biologically-inspired approaches to make skin stronger through ground-breaking Imperial research. Recorded Feb. 2021.
Dr Claire Higgins, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London
We also heard about ways being developed to accelerate wound closure, reduce scar formation, and make scar tissue resilient to injury.
After injuries to the skin, epithelial cells migrate to close the wound, while dermal cells synthesise collagen to fill the wound bed. These coordinated processes enable healing to occur, however, we are left with a permanent reminder of the injury - a scar.
Scar tissue never regains the strength of healthy tissue and is prone to injury. It also has limited functionality compared to healthy skin.
In this talk, Dr Higgins presented the research ongoing in their lab that is determining ways to accelerate wound closure, reduce scar formation, and make scar tissue resilient to injury.