Inflammation and Healing Lab
How the body's immune response shapes healing after major surgery.
The lab studies blood and tissue markers that predict who will heal well and who is at risk of complications, and tests simple ways to steer recovery in the right direction.
Themes
Our people
Dr Clara Vossberg
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Clara runs the lab’s biomarker platform and leads its work on wound healing in older adults.
Noah Pemberley
PhD Candidate
Noah’s doctoral project looks at whether a simple blood test on day two can flag patients who need closer follow-up.
Our research
The studies listed on this page are run or led by the group. Each one is entered once and also appears on the matching theme pages.
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In progress Healing in Later Life
Why do wounds heal more slowly in some older adults, and what can we do about it?
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Healing Signals in the Lab
Laboratory work on stored samples, mapping which immune signals switch on in the first days of wound repair.
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Recruiting The Day Two Study
Can a single blood test on the second day after bowel surgery show who needs closer follow-up?
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Recruiting Wound Check by Phone
Can a photo of your wound, sent from home, pick up infection as early as a clinic visit?
Our publications
Early blood markers and complications after bowel surgery: a cohort study
Selected paper
Ashdown M, Vossberg C, Pemberley N, et al. Journal of Example Surgery, 2026. doi:10.5555/example.2026.001In plain language: We measured inflammation in the blood of 400 people on the second day after bowel surgery. People with high levels were three times more likely to develop a complication, which suggests a simple test could help teams decide who needs closer monitoring.
2026
- Inflammatory markers on the second post-operative day: a validation studyVossberg C, Pemberley N, Ashdown M. Example Surgical Science, 2026. doi:10.5555/example.2026.101
2025
- Wound healing trajectories in adults over 70Vossberg C, Ashdown M. Example Wound Research, 2025. doi:10.5555/example.2025.102
News from this group
- Wound Check by Phone is open
Reposted from the Inflammation and Healing Lab's LinkedIn page. The lab's new study asks whether wound photos sent from home can spot infection early.