The HHS Centre for Burn Research team focuses on three areas of cutting-edge research: stem cell use in skin regeneration, skin printing for grafting wounds, and metabolism in burn recovery.

Revving up older patients’ metabolism could be the key to healing from severe burns

Older patients suffering a severe burn are at a much higher risk of dying than younger patients with the same type of injury. Researchers at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS)’ Centre for Burn Research are exploring ways to improve outcomes for older burn patients by closing that gap.

“Metabolism and aging are interconnected in our research work.”

“Where a young adult or middle-aged patient might have a 20 per cent chance of dying from a severe burn injury, a patient aged 60 or older would have a 70 or 80 per cent chance of dying with the same burn size and injury severity,” says Dr. Marc Jeschke, a globally recognized researcher and burn surgeon at HHS.

Dr. Marc Jeschke

Jeschke is also medical director of the Regional Burn Program at HHS Hamilton General Hospital (HGH). It’s one of two burn units in the province caring for patients with burns ranging from small but severe to full body. He’s also vice president of research and chief scientific officer for HHS.

Jeschke and his research team at the HHS Centre for Burn Research, located within the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), focus on developing cutting-edge treatments and therapies to improve outcomes in people with severe burn injuries locally and globally. Their main areas of research are stem cell use in skin regeneration, skin printing for grafting wounds, and metabolism in burn recovery. Metabolism is the process of using energy, or calories, for the body to maintain itself. It also aids in healing. As people age, their metabolism slows.

“Metabolism and aging are interconnected in our research work,” says Jeschke, adding, “It’s a very important area of study for our team.”

Older burn patients: A growing demographic

Older adults are more susceptible to burn injuries for reasons including thinning skin, decreased sensation and deterioration of judgement and coordination. Scalding is the most common type of burn injury in older patients, affecting more women than men.

“Our goal, through this research, is to narrow the gap so that older burn patients survive their injuries, and heal in a way that allows them to enjoy a good quality of life.”

Burn research aimed at improving survival rates for older adults is vital, given Canada’s aging demographic. Over the next 20 years, Canada’s senior population is expected to grow by almost 70 per cent, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

The HHS burn team’s cutting-edge research into the link between metabolism and aging could help narrow the gap in survival rates between older patients and their younger counterparts.

Metabolism, aging and burns

When a person suffers a severe burn, their body becomes hyper metabolic. Hyper metabolism, or metabolic stress, is the direct response to a burn injury, with the amount of stress increasing based on the extent of the injury. The body’s healing system is kicked into high gear, as the stress reaction fuels recovery.

But metabolism slows with age, and studies have found that older patients don’t respond with stress as younger people do, so they aren’t able to shift to that higher gear for healing. As a result, older burn patients experience much poorer outcomes because their cells rejuvenate more slowly which can mean they don’t heal completely.

McMaster University masters student Fadi Khalaf operates the QIAsymphony, a robotic system that automates the purification of DNA and RNA. This allows researchers to analyze how burn injuries and age-related genetic changes impact the genome, helping to uncover why older adults experience higher mortality and identifying potential therapeutic strategies to mitigate these effects.

“Our research is looking at how we can restore this function in older adults, so they can respond to stress like a younger patient would,” says Jeschke, whose team is exploring this at the cellular level. “For example, we know that the mitochondria aren’t working as hard in older patients. But we don’t understand the entire ‘how or why’ of this.” Mitochondria are energy factories in cells that process oxygen and convert food and drinks into energy that promotes recovery.

Jeschke’s lab is exploring the use of biologic medicines to induce certain rejuvenating cells and organs into promote the energy needed for healing after a burn injury. Biologics contain substances that were created using living cells or organisms and are often used to treat severe, life-threatening illnesses.

“We’re one of the few labs in the world focused on this mechanism works in older adult patients,” says Jeschke. “Through our research, we’re exploring how to rejuvenate cells and organs so they’re able to respond better to healing. Our goal, through this research, is to narrow the gap so that older burn patients survive their injuries, and heal in a way that allows them to enjoy a good quality of life.”

Related Posts

HHS study could revolutionize care worldwide for patients with extensive burns Passion for the arts leads to career in burn research From roots to research in advancing burn care and treatment Hamilton Health Sciences restoring burn program and establishing new burn research centre Finding ways to help older adults recover from burn injuries Advancing burns treatment and research at Hamilton Health Sciences How to protect your child from fireplace burns