Researchers at the University of Birmingham are developing new technologies that will help minimise the impact of scarring both on the skin and the eyes.
Emma McCarthy, a Doctoral Researcher from the Physical Sciences Health CDT and the Healthcare Technologies Institute is currently developing a wound dressing to reduce surface scarring of the eye to prevent blindness. This will be beneficial for those within the developing world who do not have instant access to surgeons and clinics.
Emma shares what originally inspired her interest in science and engineering, her anti-scarring research, and what she enjoys most about working at the University of Birmingham.
My research predominately revolves around manipulating collagen, a scaffold like protein essential for tissue function, by using physical and chemical parameters to help repair wounds. One of the main research areas involves developing a wound dressing, which is both patterned and chemically altered, to reduce surface scarring of the eye and to prevent blindness caused from the scar.
The wound dressing will allow those who have a cut on the surface of their eye to be treated rapidly, immediately after injury has occurred. As the wound dressing will influence collagen assembly, it will reduce the likelihood of a scar forming. A scar is the result of disorganised collagen and this organisation is extremely important to keep the eye transparent. This will be especially beneficial for those within the developing world who do not have instant access to surgeons and clinics, which are imperative to the current treatment of surface eye scarring.
I was first inspired while doing work experience at school. I was lucky enough to shadow a lot of scientists working in research labs in London and was excited by how they could come up with innovative ideas to tackle medical problems. I was then able to work at a company called Imanova, looking at how lesions in the neck could be used as an early marker for multiple sclerosis. This work experience solidified my interest in science and engineering.
At university I was very interested in how physics, my original discipline, could be used to solve biological questions. Through both work experience and guest lecturers at university I got excited about how science can be used to really help others. The Physical Sciences for Health CDT that I am currently part of gave me the platform to learn about how we can best help people as scientists and where my interest in BioChemical Engineering truly became apparent.
The research group that I work in is highly interdisciplinary. I work with scientists from all different backgrounds. This enormously helps the progression of research as a problem that can be tackled from all directions, preventing tunnel vision with regards to what we can do to fix medical issues. The CDT course that I am on also provided the ability for someone originally from physics to transition into something more interdisciplinary and tackle problems with a wider viewpoint that I would not have been able to do by staying in physics alone.
Read more about the fascinating research taking place at the Healthcare Technologies Institute (HTI).
Watafiti wa Chuo Kikuu cha Birmingham wanafanya utafiti wa kugundua jinsi ya kupunguza athari za kuvuja kwa ngozi na macho. Emma McCarthy, mtafiti wa daktari kutoka Chuo Kikuu cha Sayansi ya Fizikia na Taasisi ya Teknolojia ya Huduma za Afya, anaendeleza sasa bandage ya jeraha ili kupunguza makovu ya uso wa jicho ili kuzuia upofu. Hii itakuwa na manufaa kwa wale walio katika nchi zinazoendelea ambao hawana upatikanaji wa mara moja wa madaktari wa upasuaji na kliniki. Emma anashiriki kile ambacho awali kilimchochea kupendezwa na sayansi na uhandisi, utafiti wake wa kupambana na makovu, na kile anafurahia zaidi kuhusu kufanya kazi katika Chuo Kikuu cha Birmingham. Utafiti wangu unazunguka hasa kudhibiti collagen, suruali kama protini muhimu kwa kazi ya tishu, kwa kutumia vigezo vya kimwili na kemikali kusaidia kurekebisha majeraha. Moja ya maeneo makuu ya utafiti ni kuendeleza bandage ya jeraha, ambayo ni wote patterned na kemikali iliyopita, kupunguza uso scarring ya jicho na kuzuia upofu unasababishwa na makovu. Vifungo vya upasuaji vinaweza kuwa na athari kwa wale ambao wamejeruhiwa kwenye jicho, na wanaweza kutibiwa mara tu baada ya kuumia. Kwa kuwa bandage ya jeraha itaathiri mkusanyiko wa collagen, itapunguza uwezekano wa kuunda kidonda. Majeraha ni matokeo ya collagen disorganized na shirika hili ni muhimu sana kuweka jicho uwazi. Hii itakuwa na manufaa hasa kwa wale katika nchi zinazoendelea ambao hawana upatikanaji wa mara moja kwa madaktari wa upasuaji na kliniki, ambayo ni muhimu kwa matibabu ya sasa ya macho ya uso. Nilipata msukumo wa kwanza nilipokuwa nikifanya mazoezi ya kazi shuleni. Nilikuwa na bahati ya kuwafuatilia wanasayansi wengi wanaofanya kazi katika maabara ya utafiti huko London na nilifurahi sana jinsi walivyoweza kupata mawazo mapya ya kukabiliana na matatizo ya matibabu. Imanova, kampuni ya utafiti wa afya ya afya, ilifanya utafiti wa jinsi ya kugundua dalili za ugonjwa wa multiple sclerosis. Uzoefu huo wa kazi ulitia nguvu upendezi wangu katika sayansi na uhandisi. Katika chuo kikuu nilikuwa na kupendezwa sana na jinsi fizikia, taaluma yangu ya awali, ingeweza kutumiwa kutatua maswali ya kibiolojia. Kwa njia ya uzoefu wa kazi na wahadhiri wageni katika chuo kikuu nilifurahi juu ya jinsi sayansi inaweza kutumika kusaidia wengine kweli. "Kama ""Sayansi ya Fizikia kwa Afya"" (CDT), ambayo sasa ni sehemu ya, alinipa jukwaa la kujifunza kuhusu jinsi tunaweza kusaidia watu bora kama wanasayansi na ambapo maslahi yangu katika Biochemical Engineering kweli akawa dhahiri." Kikundi cha utafiti ambacho ninafanya kazi nacho ni cha kitaaluma sana. Mimi hufanya kazi na wanasayansi kutoka asili mbalimbali. Hii inasaidia sana maendeleo ya utafiti kama tatizo ambalo linaweza kushughulikiwa kutoka pande zote, kuzuia maono ya handaki kuhusu kile tunaweza kufanya kurekebisha masuala ya matibabu. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Mafunzo ya CDT ambayo ninafanya pia yalitoa uwezo kwa mtu ambaye awali kutoka fizikia kuhamia kitu zaidi cha interdisciplinary na kushughulikia matatizo na mtazamo pana ambao singeweza kufanya kwa kukaa katika fizikia peke yake.""" Soma zaidi kuhusu utafiti wa kuvutia unaofanyika katika Taasisi ya Teknolojia ya Huduma ya Afya (HTI).