Researchers at the University of Huddersfield have won two prizes from the Society of Tissue Viability for developing 3D bioengineered wound models designed to improve healthcare training in wound care and debridement techniques.

The multidisciplinary team, spanning the University’s Biopolymer Research Centre and Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention, received the Society’s Together We Achieve Award during its 2026 conference in Bradford.

The project focuses on creating realistic chronic wound simulation models that allow healthcare professionals to practise wound debridement, the removal of dead, damaged or infected tissue to support healing.

The work began after researchers specialising in wound care identified the need for more effective training tools for clinicians managing acute and chronic wounds.

Dr Jessica Senior and Professor Alan Smith’s research into 3D bioprinting skin led to collaboration with Professor Karen Ousey, Dr Leanne Atkin and Professor Barbara Conway from the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention to develop a practical wound simulation platform for healthcare education.

The team created models using materials designed to replicate the appearance and texture of wound components including slough, exudate, eschar and granulation tissue. The resulting models can be physically debrided during training exercises, providing a more realistic simulation environment for clinicians.

Since the initial model was developed four years ago, the researchers have expanded the platform to include simulations for skin tears, diabetic foot ulcers, scar formation and pressure ulcers.

The wider project has also involved collaboration with International Skin Tear Advisory Panel past president Samantha Holloway, alongside University of Huddersfield academics Dr Grace Linsley, Dr Natasha Levy and Emily Buchannan.

Over the past three years, around 600 wound models have been supplied to healthcare training providers, universities and wound care companies across the UK, Canada, Sweden and Germany.

The research team also includes Tanvir Siddique and post-doctoral researcher Dr Haja Muhamad.

Dr Senior, senior lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Huddersfield, said: “It is an immense pleasure to be working with such a multidisciplinary team towards enhancing patient care and reducing burdens on our wound care workforce.

“To see such translation from our lab to the clinic is a dream for any researcher, and we strive to further advance innovations in this space.”

Alongside the team award, Dr Senior also received the conference’s best free paper prize for a presentation titled Next-generation wound modelling for enhanced simulation training.

The presentation outlined the latest developments in the group’s wound bioengineering research and explored how simulation technologies could support workforce training and improve confidence among healthcare professionals managing chronic wounds.

The project reflects growing interest in simulation-based healthcare training as providers look to improve clinical skills development while reducing pressure on frontline services.