Research summary
Diabetic foot ulcers are open sores—commonly located on the bottom of the foot—that occur in approximately 15 per cent of patients with diabetes. Those who suffer from diabetic foot ulcers have a risk of death that is higher than some cancers. A major hurdle in treating these wounds is the lack of biomarkers to predict healing and enable the development of new drugs.
As Canada Research Chair in Skin Microbiome and Infectious Disease, Dr. Lindsay Kalan’s goal is to understand how the microbiome and chronic infection influence wound healing in patients with diabetes. She and her research team also aim to understand how skin-associated bacteria can protect against the colonization of disease-causing organisms. Their findings could support the development of therapies to treat diabetic foot ulcers and improve the health of the 3.5 million Canadians who will develop them over their lifetime.