King's College London

Tanya, your research journey began in Canada and eventually led you to the specialised study of skin. How did you first get interested in the biological "wound" of healing?

My interest in biomedical science started during my undergraduate degree in physiology at the University of Western Ontario. I was particularly drawn to reproductive physiology, which circuitously led me to a PhD lab studying ovulation. I found the idea fascinating that ovulation essentially leads to a wound in the ovary. While my PhD ended up being quite cancer-focused, the concept of healthy wound healing was always in the back of my mind.

I eventually left Canada for a post-doc in Bristol to study skin wound healing and scarring. That momentum has stuck for nearly 20 years because the skin is such an accessible organ for study. I joined King’s in 2014, and while I teach anatomy, my research home is in immunology. I’ve always been interested in how inflammation exacerbates scar formation, and now I am keen to explore how "all cells are immune cells" in the context of a wound — every cell is capable of contributing to the immune response when tissue is damaged.

Your work covers a broad spectrum, from pathological keloid scars to healthy skin repair. How did a basic research idea about facial healing turn into a successful pitch to an industry giant like Unilever?

The transition from a basic idea to a commercial pitch was facilitated by the King's Innovation Catalyst. My developmental biology colleagues and I recognised that the field neglected the fact that facial skin develops differently. Wanting to understand what that meant for wound repair, early observations confirmed remarkable biological differences in facial versus body healing. This confirmed the anecdotal observation that the skin of the face heals better than the body, proving this wasn't just due to sun aging or extrinsic factors.

When I reached out to Rachel at King’s Innovation Catalyst, I had the data but needed help with the "third stream" of funding and industrial partnerships. Rachel helped me distil my research into a concise two-page pitch that outlined the potential directions of the work and why it would be of interest to companies. We intentionally kept it brief to grab attention rather than simply sending the academic manuscript.

How did Unilever react to that pitch, and what does the collaborative relationship look like in practice?

The timing was perfect because Unilever was looking to establish a hub for skin health at that exact moment. They saw that my work fit their remit of "healthy" healing—they aren't looking for medical drugs, but rather to understand human health problems like acne wounds or skincare.

Once the initial pitch was accepted, we didn't just sign a contract; we collaboratively wrote a PhD proposal for a BBSRC iCASE studentship, which Unilever co-funds. This is very early-stage research (low Technology Readiness Level) focused on basic science and publication. Practically, we meet every six weeks to discuss progress, and our PhD student benefits from industry exposure, equipment access, and she even had an internship at a Unilever site in the US.

Looking at the "rejuvenation" aspect of your project, what are the ultimate objectives for this research?

Our goal is to identify the signals that make the face heal so well and see if we can "turn them up" in other body parts, or bolster them as they decline with aging. Interestingly, many modern rejuvenation strategies, like microneedling or lasers, essentially trigger a wound response to make skin look more youthful.

By understanding the damage response happening at a cellular level, we have the potential to mimic or enhance those beneficial responses. It’s an exciting time to see how basic anatomical research can lead to real-world applications for anyone who has skin.