BURNS RESEARCH

Burns are one of the most common forms of trauma worldwide. 180,000 people die every year from burn injuries - the majority in low- or middle- income countries (WHO). Those who survive severe burns face long hospital stays, disability, and stigma.

Read our page on Burns to learn more about what burns are and how they're treated [coming soon.]

Our Research

Since 2012, we have helped establish the UK as a global leader in burns research. Our research has focused on techniques for preventing common burn injuries and developing new scar free and rehabilitative burns treatments.

In 2018, we launched The Scar Free Foundation UK Burns Research Network, supported by the VTCT Foundation. This incredible resource brings researchers, clinicians, and patients together from across the UK. Across our Network projects, we have worked with all 14 of the UK's Burns Centres and have connected with clinicians from over 75 countries.

We are also proud to be members of the steering group of the Global Burns Research JLA. You can find out more about the project here.

What we've done

We've made huge strides toward better care and outcomes for burns patients. Since the Network's launch we have:

- Discovered three genetic markers that can predict sepsis in the blood. With further research, this could slash the number of patients facing serious infection.

- Established a set of core outcomes for burns patients. This means that researchers all report their data the same way, so doctors and surgeons can make more consistent and informed decisions (Global Burn Core Outcome Set)

- Collected data from over 860 adults, young people, and parents of children with burns. Researchers used this dataset to learn how effective existing measurement tools were. (CARe Responsiveness)

What we want to do

Three of the four Network projects are finished, but there's still more to discover about burns treatment and preventions.

Our current research priorities include:

- Improving the mental health of burns survivors

- Improving how burn scars look and heal

- Restoring movement and function to limbs with severe burn scars