Regeneration rewired: unlocking the secrets of the spiny mouse to boost human skin cell migration, proliferation and plasticity
Grantee: Sofia Ferreira Gonzalez, Chancellor's fellow, University of Edinburgh
Amount: DKK 3,944,849
Grant category: Serendipity Grants
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
Skin fibrosis is often a sequela of suboptimal wound healing following significant epidermal and/or dermal injury (burns, trauma, major surgeries). Fibrotic material replaces native skin with dense, non-functional connective tissue, ultimately resulting in loss of function and – in the most severe cases – leading to debilitating skin pathologies that limit movement and prevent patient reintegration into society. Ferreira’s lab hosts the only colony of spiny mouse in the UK (Acomys cahirinus). The spiny is, to date, the only mammal capable of completely regenerating skin wounds with minimal scarring following self-amputation. Sofia Ferreira Gonzalez is currently exploring the contribution of different dermal populations to this fibrosis-free wound healing.
Unexpectedly, Sofia Ferreira Gonzalez and colleagues found that spiny dermal fibroblasts have a highly plastic phenotype and are able to convert to many other cell types (neurons, myocytes, chondrocytes). Moreover, they found that spiny fibroblasts secrete factors that enhance migration and proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts and protect them from cellular senescence. Sofia Ferreira Gonzalez aims now to explore these results, defining which mechanisms drive plasticity, migration and proliferation in spiny fibroblasts and adapting them to human fibroblasts. By doing so, Sofia Ferreira Gonzalez aims to establish a radically new approach to skin trauma focused on stimulating tissue regeneration rather than suppressing fibrosis, which has the potential to revolutionize both care and patient outcomes.
A 3D printed solution to the Fingertip Unit problem
Grantee: Oisín Kavanagh, Senior Lecturer, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
Amount: DKK 1,293,996
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
Medicated creams and ointments are used to treat millions of people every day. Despite this, inconsistent drug delivery remains a long-standing issue. While Finlay’s Fingertip Unit was introduced in 1973 to address this gap, there is still a challenge in delivering consistent doses of topical medicines for small lesions, such as those seen in paediatrics. This issue is particularly relevant today with the introduction of incredibly potent topical medicines. Oisín Kavanagh’s project aims to design an adjustable adapter that enables patients to accurately control the amount of medication they apply to their skin. During the design process, Oisín Kavanagh and his team will collaborate with patients and their carers to ensure that this product meets their needs.
Skin bacteria control of sensory function in response to environmental perturbations
Grantee: Simone Di Giovanni, Professor, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Amount: DKK 3,997,382
Grant category: Research Grants in open competition
Year: 2025
Geography: United Kingdom
Skin innervation is our sensory interface with the ever-changing environment undergoing fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Sensation needs to account for these fluctuations to regulate sense of touch, pain, movement, learning and memory, sexual and social conduct. More than 100 million bacteria that reside on the human skin are the first line of response to environmental perturbations. Variable humidity, salinity, temperature, and oxygen affect bacteria metabolism and diversity. Simone Di Giovanni therefore hypothesise that bacteria are required for sensory function affecting complex behaviours in response to perturbations in temperature and humidity. This bears implications for human physiology, health and resilience on earth.