Keele researcher secures funding to help treat war-related burn injuries in Ukraine

A Keele University scientist has secured international funding for research that could help improve treatment for patients suffering severe burn injuries caused by the war in Ukraine.

Dr Oksana Kehoe has partnered with researchers at Ternopil National Medical University, in Ukraine, on a project investigating innovative cell-free regenerative therapies for burn wounds.

The collaboration is one of only 22 projects selected for support through the Seed Funding Programme within the Twinning Initiative administered by Cormack Consultancy Group (CCG), chosen from 234 applications submitted by universities and research institutions across Ukraine and around the world.

The research addresses an urgent healthcare challenge in Ukraine, where the number of complex burn and blast-related injuries has increased significantly following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Burn injuries are associated with a high risk of complications, including infections, organ failure, and psychological trauma.

The project will examine the effectiveness of cell-free regenerative medicine approaches that could improve wound healing and support better clinical decision-making for patients with severe burns.

Dr Kehoe, Reader in Inflammation Biology at Keele University, said the war in Ukraine had made the research "more urgent and clinically relevant."

"Ukrainian hospitals are treating increasing numbers of military personnel and civilians with blast-related burns, contaminated wounds, tissue loss, infection complications, delayed healing, and severe scarring," she said.

"These are often combined with injuries that damage arteries and veins, fractures, or soft-tissue defects, making treatment especially complex. This reality has directed the project toward advanced regenerative approaches for difficult wartime wounds. 

"While standard burn care remains essential, there is a strong need for additional treatments alongside standard care that can accelerate wound closure, improve tissue regeneration, reduce excessive inflammation and scarring, prevent tightening of the skin that can restrict movement, and improve long-term recovery."

The UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative has created more than 100 partnerships between UK and Ukrainian universities, helping to strengthen research, education and innovation despite the disruption caused by war.

Dr Oksana, who moved to the UK from Ukraine in 2000 after completing her PhD and first postdoctoral position there, added: "This approach has the potential to support the body's natural healing processes while being easier to produce and deliver than some existing regenerative treatments.

"In Ukraine, where many patients are suffering complex burn injuries caused by explosions and other wartime trauma, it could help address a significant and urgent medical need.

"Although the research is particularly relevant to conflict-related injuries, the therapies being investigated could also have important applications for civilians who suffer severe burns from accidents and fires."