Veterinary researcher earns grant to improve traumatic burn, wound healingNovember 7, 2017Holly Sparks, DVM, a large animal surgeon and Ph.D. candidate in regenerative medicine at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), is researching stem cell-based therapies to improve skin grafts and improve skin wound and burn healing in humans and horses. "Humans and horses are obviously different species, but when it comes to wound healing they are more alike than one might realize," said Dr. Sparks. "Like people, horses that suffer severe burns or large wounds on their lower limbs have similar difficulty with optimal healing. Instead, horses commonly develop chronic, non-healing wounds which are reminiscent of the scarring and sub-optimal healing seen in human burn survivors as well as those with diabetic leg ulcers." AIHS Clinician Fellowship Award Sparks is investigating the use of dermal stem cells and novel bioengineered "scaffolds" to place new, healthy cells on top of wounds to regenerate and promote healing. Sparks has been awarded an Alberta Innovates: Health Solutions (AIHS) Clinician Fellowship Award to fund her work for the next three years. "These are highly competitive and typically awarded to physicians in human medicine, so it's a real accomplishment for a veterinarian to be granted this award," …
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