Burns, Trauma, & Acute Care Research

Starting as early as the 1947 Texas City industrial disaster, clinicians and scientists at UTMB have been dedicated to developing optimal treatment approaches for patients suffering from massive burns. Discoveries made by the Department of Surgery faculty have led to the instigation of treatments that dramatically improve the survival chances from massive burns, reduce scar formation, and accelerate patient recovery. Many of the novel treatments identified by UTMB researchers have been adopted by specialists at burn centers around the world, improving the lives of countless patients.

Given the dramatic improvements in mortality rates to massive burns, current research primarily focuses on accelerating patient recovery and enhancing their quality of life. Researchers in the Burns and Trauma group are focused on devising novel nutritional, pharmacological, and exercise-based strategies to mitigate burn-induced muscle catabolism. Likewise, research by the group is refining the utilization of emerging regenerative medicine approaches to improve wound healing and reduce scar formation following burns.

The Burn, Trauma, and Critical Care research laboratory is well equipped with an array of cutting-edge equipment and technologies to support their research activities, including a dedicated cell culture suite, confocal microscope, flow cytometer, Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring System (CLAMS), and bioprinter for 3D cell culture.