Dr Lucy Barrett^1,2,3, Mr Blair Johnson¹, Professor Fiona Wood^1,2,3, Dr Mark  Fear^1,3

¹Burn Injury Research Unit, University Of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia, ²Telethon Kids Institute, Northern Entrance, Perth Children’s , Nedlands, Australia, ³Fiona Wood Foundation, Murdoch, Australia

Abstract:

Burn patients have a reduced life expectancy and are at increased risk of infections, cancer, and other diseases long after discharge from hospital for the burn injury itself. Of particular concern, these risks are also associated with non-severe burn injuries so understanding the mechanisms behind this is a priority. We have built a strong evidence base using pre-clinical burn models, patient studies and epidemiology to show that the immune system is compromised for many years after a burn. We believe this is the cause of susceptibility to chronic disease seen in children after a burn. However, we still do not fully understand the underlying mechanisms that lead to immune dysfunction after burn trauma, meaning children cannot be treated to reduce these known long-term health impacts.

To investigate immunity blood samples were collected at the time of surgery after non-severe burn injury from young patients. Circulating cytokines and immune cell populations were analysed using Luminex assays and multiparameter flow cytometry and profiles assessed for their correlation with clinical outcomes. Our analysis has identified patterns in immune profiles during the acute stage of burn injury that are associated with poor clinical outcomes, such as a longer length of stay in hospital, longer time to re-epithelisation, and higher scar scores. Our ongoing work to characterise longitudinal immune profiles in paediatric burn patients will facilitate the identification of at-risk patients and inform the development of targeted treatment strategies to restore immunity post-burn and improve the long-term health outcomes for children with burns.

Biography:

Dr Barrett is an early-career postdoctoral research scientist who has been working with the Burn Injury Research Unit at UWA on the impact of burns on immunity and metabolism, in order to understand how an acute, non-severe burn injury can leave patients vulnerable to secondary disease later in life.