Bristol Wound Healing Research

What is the problem?

Scars are a natural side-effect of our cells repairing damage quickly, but not efficiently. When we’re injured, our cells rapidly create non-functional tissue to cover the wound. This scar tissue is permanent: we cannot remove it naturally or regenerate the original tissue that was lost.  

Some people barely scar at all, while others form large scars. However, there are some animals, like zebrafish, that can heal their wounds without permanent scars at all.  

The secrets behind why some people scar better than others, and why some animals don’t scar at all, are in our genes. Our research at the University of Bristol aims to uncover the genes that control scarring using population-based cohort studies and zebrafish testing. 

What are the researchers doing? 

The programme has two separate lab projects: the Martin Lab, and the Richardson Lab. They use similar methods to find and test genes that might change on how we scar.  

Both projects use large genetic databanks to pinpoint potential scarring genes. These databanks contain the genetic information of thousands of people, as well as information on their scars. By combing through these datasets, the researchers can spot patterns – genes that appear more frequently in people that don’t scar, or that only appear in people with keloid scars.  

The Martin lab, led by Professor Paul Martin, uses data from two studies: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in Bristol, and the Pelotas Birth Cohort Study from Brazil. Both studies track mothers and their babies. This means researchers can look for links between certain genes and the size of caesarean scarring or vaccine scars.  

The Richardson lab, led by Dr Beck Richardson, uses data from another Scar Free initiative – the Cleft Collective. Children born with cleft lip or palette undergo surgery, meaning almost all of them have scars. Additionally, there is some evidence linking the same genes to both cleft lip and defective wound healing.  

Using these datasets, the researchers have identified a network of genes that could influence scarring. But they need to test them to make sure. 

Enter zebrafish. These small, tropical fish are a model organism – meaning they reproduce quickly, are easy to keep, and crucially, share a lot of our genes.  

Using gene-editing technology, the researchers can ‘knock back’ (turn off) promising genes in some zebrafish. Once these fish have grown, they are anaesthetised and given a small wound by a dermatology laser. By studying how these ‘mutant’ fish heal compared to their un-edited siblings, the researchers can measure the effect of the targeted gene on wound healing. 

What difference will this research make? 

The secrets of scarring are in our genes. Finding out which genes affect how we scar will be an incredible research achievement that will open the door to new studies, treatments, and interventions to slow, stop, or prevent scarring.  

If we know what genes cause scarring, we can plan around them. People going in for major surgery, for example, could be screened in advance. If they don’t have troublesome scarring genes, then treatments like silicon gels and pressure garments could be skipped, saving time and money. If they do have scarring genes, then precautions could be put in place to reduce scarring. In the future, we may even be able to turn those genes off to prevent scarring entirely.