Advanced wound care: develop new treatments in the UK
Published 15 October 2018
© Crown copyright 2018
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advanced-wound-care-develop-treatments-in-the-uk/advanced-wound-care-develop-new-treatments-in-the-uk
The UK is a global centre at the forefront of development and commercialisation of advanced wound-care products.
In the UK:
- there are 2.2 million people with chronic wounds, the management of which is estimated to cost the National Health Service (NHS) £5.3 billion per year
- 87% of patients are cared for in the community by district nurses supported by a unique network of over 748 specialist-tissue viability nurses
Major global advanced wound-care companies select the UK as their preferred location, due in part to supply-chain excellence and world-class clinical-research infrastructure.
UK innovation in advanced wound-care
The UK has a pioneering culture and history of innovation in advanced wound-care. This has lead to developments such as:
- the recognition in the 1960s that wounds heal better by moist wound healing (George D. Winter, UK surgeon)
- biologic repair
- wound diagnostics
- adjudicative technologies
Advanced wound-care product development in the UK
Advanced wound care is one of the UK’s largest medical-technology growth sectors. It has 66 advanced wound-care companies (excluding general wound-care companies). The large supply-chain infrastructure services a growing global market estimated to be valued at around $18 billion.
New high-tech start-up companies, often supported by university and clinical-research centres of excellence, are driving developments in areas such as:
- exudate management
- diagnostics (wound status and infection)
- cell therapies
- bioactive and physical therapies
Supply chain excellence in wound care in the UK
The UK has a world-class supply chain in all areas of wound-care product design and development including:
- technical textiles
- hydrocolloids
- alginates
- activated carbon
- super-absorbents
- specialist packaging
- regulatory
- clinical-trial design
Major international materials suppliers benefit from access to the UK’s unique specialist expertise for the design and development of new products.
Specialist research centres in the UK
The UK has major clinical and academic research centres leading technical innovation in advanced wound care.
They have expertise in:
- wound healing
- scarring and fibrosis
- stem-cell therapy
- cell scaffolds
- materials development
World-leading centres exist in trauma, burns, pressure management, venous leg ulcers and in more specialist areas such as epidermolysis bullosa, or surgical approaches to non-healing wounds.
UK clinical-research infrastructure for wound care
The UK has the most integrated clinical-research infrastructure in the world with specialist clinical-research networks coordinating the fast tracking and delivery of clinical trials.
Three of the UK’s 20 biomedical research centres specialise in predicting and promoting wound healing and robotics or imaging to improve surgery.
Seven biomedical research centres support translation of research into commercial products in areas such as:
- osteoarthritis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- trauma
- bio-materials
- medical-device technology
There are currently 102 active NHS wound-care clinical trials.
Contact Life Sciences Organisation (LSO)
LSO is made up of a mixed team of civil servants and private sector specialists based in the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT).
It provides support for:
- UK life sciences companies doing business overseas
- foreign life sciences companies wanting to invest in the UK
Contact LSO for more information on commercial opportunities in the UK’s life sciences sector.
You can find out more about investing in the UK at great.gov.uk.