Manipulating wound inflammation and angiogenesis to rescue defective tissue repair

Wounds that struggle to heal affect the quality of life for millions, incurring substantial costs to the NHS. I aim to understand how wound healing becomes compromised, and how this risk increases in the context of diabetes. Previous studies suggest this may be due to poor control of inflammation and insufficient blood vessel supply to injured tissues. However, these studies could not directly live-image events as they occur. I will use transparent, genetically modifiable zebrafish to observe repair processes occurring live, comparing healthy and diabetic fish. I will genetically profile immune and blood vessel cells from normal and diabetic wounds, identifying key processes that become stalled in compromised wounds, as well as potential therapeutic targets. I will also culture human blood vessels and immune cells together, confirming that the mechanisms observed in my fish studies are conserved in human tissue and are therefore clinically relevant, driving identification of new therapeutics.