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HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh visits world-leading research study in Bristol

The Duchess met Bristol Wound Healing researchers, Children of the 90s cohort members, the Cleft Collective - and plenty of zebrafish!

HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh wears a lab coat while leaning down to look at a small tank of zebrafish on a bench in a lab. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh watches on.

On the 20th March, our Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO visited the world-leading University of Bristol research labs, where innovative Scar Free research is taking place.

The researchers’ work into genetic factors which influence scarring has the potential to transform lives – both in the UK and around the world.

Stops on The Duchess’s tour included Bristol’s Wolfson Bioimaging Facility, where state-of-the-art imaging and genetic analysis are used to model wound healing and scar formation.

Researchers explained how translucent zebrafish are vital to better understanding why humans scar: though humans and zebrafish share similar inflammation and scar formations, zebrafish heal rapidly, enabling scientists to live-image the healing process and study how scars develop in real time.

The two separate lab projects – the Martin Lab, led by Professor Paul Martin, and the Richardson Lab, led by Dr. Beck Richardson – use similar advanced genetic research methods to pinpoint and test genes that may influence scarring.

Professor Judith Squires, The Duchess, and Professor Paul Martin stand in a corridor discussing research at the beginning of the tour.

“It was an honour to welcome the Duchess of Edinburgh to the University to see first-hand the ground-breaking research our researchers are carrying out thanks to the support of the Scar Free Foundation.
The Duchess’s visit highlights the importance and impact of the University’s research and innovation, whilst bringing global attention to the issue of scarring”.
Professor Judith Squires, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of Bristol

Professor Paul Martin, the study’s Principal Investigator, University of Bristol School of Biochemistry, began the tour in a research-office lined corridor leading to the labs.

“We are delighted to have welcomed the Duchess of Edinburgh to Bristol today”, Paul said. “With five million people in the UK affected by life-changing scars, this visit provided a valuable opportunity to showcase our innovative research. Thanks to funding by the Scar Free Foundation, we hope our research will soon transform the lives of people living with scarring around the world”.

Professor Paul Martin points at a board with research information on as he and The Duchess talk.

Dr Beck Richardson, Associate Professor in Regeneration and Disease Modelling at Bristol’s School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience showed The Duchess round the lab Beck leads, and explained what the future of the research might look like.

“It has been great to have had the opportunity to share with the Duchess the work being carried out to better understand scarring” commented Beck. “Bristol’s population health cohort approaches have helped us break new ground in scarring research, and could change the lives of people affected by scars.”

Dr Beck Richardson stands holding a small glass tank of zebrafish, looking at them through the top of the tank.

Members of these cohort studies were on hand to meet the The Duchess too.

Bristol’s Children of the 90s study – a world-leading study which recruited 14,000 pregnant women from around Bristol between 1991 and 1992 to follow the lives of mothers, children and partners – and the Cleft Collective – a cohort study which explores the causes of cleft lip and palate, and is one of the largest studies of its kind in the world – allow researchers to analyse thousands of genetic profiles, alongside scarring data, from large genetic databanks to pinpoint scarring genes; genes which cause scarring, genes which contribute to keloid scarring, and genes which may protect against scarring.

The Duchess meets an eighteen-month-old baby boy being held by his mother.

“We are delighted to welcome our Patron, the Duchess of Edinburgh, back to the University of Bristol’s research facility. At both the Richardson Lab and the Martin Lab, researchers are tirelessly advancing the frontiers of genetic research into scarring, bringing us ever closer to a future without scars.
By shining a spotlight on their work, the Duchess of Edinburgh continues to champion innovative research with the potential to change lives globally.”
Lt General Richard Nugee, Chief Executive of the Scar Free Foundation

Through this pioneering research, the University of Bristol and the Scar Free Foundation are paving the way toward a future where scars no longer have to be a lifelong burden.

You can read more about our Bristol Wound Healing research here – including how the Martin and Richardson labs use important datasets like Cleft Collective and Children of the 90s – which could hold the key to eliminating scarring.