Qualifications
- BSc (University of Manchester)
- MSc (University of Manchester)
- PhD / DPhil (University of Hull)
- PGCert (University of Hull)
Summary
I undertook my BSc (hons) in Zoology and MRes in Biological Sciences at The University of Manchester. During my MRes, I developed an avid interest in research. This led to me becoming a KTP associate at The University of Manchester, developing wound models to test the efficacy of commercial antimicrobial products.
Shortly following my KTP, I accepted a Medical Research Council funded PhD studentship in the area of wound healing at The University of Hull where I received no corrections. I then continued my research at post-doctoral level in the Hull York Medical School, and accepted a Lectureship in 2020.
Throughout my career I have received numerous awards for my outstanding work and achievements, and I have published a number of high impact publications in the field of skin and wound biology and microbiology. My research aims to determine the cellular and molecular correlates of pathological wound repair in the elderly and diabetic.
My current projects with Diabetes UK and the British Skin Foundation are focused on understanding why senescent ("zombie") cells cause poor wound healing, and developing treatments to eliminate these cells to restore normal skin repair. My work with the National Biofilms Innovation Centre is to develop selective antimicrobial therapies for skin and wound infections. I am also involved in a number of research projects with industry partners as I strongly believe that academic/commercial collaboration is key to driving impactful research that will lead to patient benefit.
Undergraduate - BSc Biomedical Sciences
Professional and Research Skills for Biomedical Scientists
Independent Research Project
Postgraduate - MSc Biomedical Sciences
Research Methods in Biomedical Sciences
Independent Research Project
Postgraduate - MSc Pharmacology and Drug Development
Foundations in Pharmacology
Practical Research Skills in Pharmacology
Independent Research Project - Module Lead
Postgraduate - MSc in Physician Associate Studies
Foundations in Pharmacology
Journal Article
Environmental fluoxetine promotes skin cell proliferation and wound healing
Rodriguez-Barucg, Q., Garcia, A. A., Garcia-Merino, B., Akinmola, T., Okotie-Eboh, T., Francis, T., Bringas, E., Ortiz, I., Wade, M., Dowle, A., Joyce, D. A., Hardman, M. J., Wilkinson, H. N., & Beltran-Alvarez, P. (2024). Environmental fluoxetine promotes skin cell proliferation and wound healing. Environmental pollution, 362, Article 124952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124952
Wound Healing Promotion via Release of Therapeutic Metallic Ions from Phosphate Glass Fibers: An In Vitro and Ex Vivo Study
Hoxha, A., Nikolaou, A., Wilkinson, H. N., Hardman, M. J., Gutierrez-Merino, J., Felipe-Sotelo, M., & Carta, D. (2024). Wound Healing Promotion via Release of Therapeutic Metallic Ions from Phosphate Glass Fibers: An In Vitro and Ex Vivo Study. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 16(29), 37669-37682. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c07035
Selective Depletion of Staphylococcus aureus Restores the Skin Microbiome and Accelerates Tissue Repair after Injury
Wilkinson, H. N., Stafford, A. R., Rudden, M., Rocha, N. D., Kidd, A. S., Iveson, S., Bell, A. L., Hart, J., Duarte, A., Frieling, J., Janssen, F., Röhrig, C., de Rooij, B., Ekhart, P. F., & Hardman, M. J. (2024). Selective Depletion of Staphylococcus aureus Restores the Skin Microbiome and Accelerates Tissue Repair after Injury. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 144(8), 1865-1876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2024.01.018
Epithelial arginase-1 is a key mediator of age-associated delayed healing in vaginal injury
Wilkinson, H. N., Reubinoff, B., Shveiky, D., Hardman, M. J., & Menachem-Zidon, O. B. (2022). Epithelial arginase-1 is a key mediator of age-associated delayed healing in vaginal injury. Frontiers in endocrinology, 13, Article 927224. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.927224
Research interests
I have a number of major areas of interest, all with the aim of tackling chronic non-healing wounds. These include:
Determining the mechanistic drivers of senescence in poor wound healing.
Understanding the role of endogenous metals in diabetes, ageing and skin repair.
Developing novel methods and treatment modalities to tackle wound biofilm infection.
To address the above aims, my research group uses a range of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo wound models and cutting-edge methodologies (e.g. RNA-Seq, ptychographic imaging, metagenomics) alongside standard histological and biochemical assays.
Lead investigator
Project
Funder
Grant
Started
Status
Project
Using novel endolysins to selectively target antimicrobial resistant S. aureus in chronic wound biofilms
Funder
National Biofilms Innovation Centre
Grant
£114,526.00
Started
1 January 2023
Status
Ongoing
Project
Micreos Contribution to NBIC Studentship
Funder
Micreos Pharma B.V.
Grant
£20,885.00
Started
1 January 2023
Status
Ongoing
Project
Developing a human skin infection model to replace rodent studies and explore host-microbe interactions
Funder
NC3Rs
Grant
£390,188.00
Started
1 December 2024
Status
Ongoing
Project
Modulating Host-Microbial Pathways to Prevent Diabetic Foot Ulcer-Related Amputations
Funder
Diabetes UK
Grant
£346,453.00
Started
1 May 2025
Status
Ongoing
Project
Re-Purposing Anti-Ageing Drugs to Heal Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Funder
Diabetes UK
Grant
£88,050.00
Started
30 September 2021
Status
Complete
Project
Bacterial Modulation of Cellular Senescence in Impaired Skin Healing
Funder
British Skin Foundation
Grant
£85,000.00
Started
1 April 2022
Status
Complete
Project
Endolysin technology for selective management of MRSA biofilms on skin and wounds
Funder
National Biofilms Innovation Centre
Grant
£38,150.00
Started
1 September 2021
Status
Complete
Project
Industry Placement to Evaluate Porcine Skin as a Model for Human Biofilm Research
Funder
National Biofilms Innovation Centre
Grant
£14,890.00
Started
1 December 2021
Status
Complete
Project
HIKE: Generating a Pre-Clinical Data Package to Support Commercialisation and Clinical Translation of Novel Regenerative Scaffolds for Chronic Wounds
Funder
MRC Medical Research Council
Grant
£67,557.00
Started
30 July 2023
Status
Complete
Co-investigator
Project
Funder
Grant
Started
Status
Project
RISE: Establishing super-Resolution Imaging in Hull for impactful multimorbidity ReSEarch MRC Equipment bid 2024 - Confocal Imaging ZEISS Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM²
Funder
MRC Medical Research Council
Grant
£718,262.00
Started
1 October 2024
Status
Ongoing
Project
A novel, first-in-its-kind, aptamer-based LYTACs to address the unmet clinical need of diabetic wounds.
Funder
Innovate UK
Grant
£588,893.00
Started
1 December 2022
Status
Ongoing
Project
Wolfson Equipment bid 2023 - Confocal Imaging ZEISS Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM²
Funder
Wolfson Foundation
Grant
£500,000.00
Started
1 October 2024
Status
Ongoing
Project
Strengthening Aging Skin: NRF2-Regulated ECM in Disease and Healing
Funder
British Skin Foundation
Grant
£95,000.00
Started
1 September 2025
Status
Ongoing
Project
A cell model for discovering biomarkers and druggable targets for pulmonary fibrosis
Funder
BLF British Lung Foundation
Grant
£79,958.00
Started
1 May 2023
Status
Complete
Postgraduate supervision
Dr Wilkinson welcomes applications from students who want to undertake an MSc by Research or PhD within the Hull York Medical School. The overarching goal of my group is to understand why chronic wounds in the elderly and diabetic fail to heal so we can develop new and effective therapies. Our major areas of interest include cellular senescence, diabetes, metals, the microbiome and wound infection.
Please get in touch to discuss potential projects/opportunities: h.n.wilkinson@hull.ac.uk
Current PhD Students:
Lauren Colborn - University of Hull Scholarship (2023-2027)
Alice Fearn - University of Hull Scholarship (2023-2027)
George Siskakis - NBIC/Hull Studentship (2023-2027)
Alice Cannon - Industry-funded Studentship (2023-2027)
Danos Papapostolou - NBIC/BBSRC Studentship (2023-2027)
Xuanyuan Zhang - University of Hull Scholarship (2022-2026)
Paisleigh Smythe - British Skin Foundation Studentship (2022-2026)
Alexander Johns - Diabetes UK Studentship (2021-2025)
Nina Dias Coelho Rocha - University of Hull Scholarship (2021-2025)
Quentin Rodriguez-Barucg - University of Hull Scholarship (2020-2024)
Completed PhD Students:
Amber Stafford - University of Hull Scholarship (2018-2023)
Daniel Hardy - University of Hull Scholarship (2017-2021)
Completed MSc by Research Students:
Alice Fearn (2021-2023)