The Burn Research Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital has devoted over three decades of research to improving the care of severely burned patients. Working together for many years, a unique combination of scientists and physicians are pushing the frontiers of knowledge about how the human body responds to burn injury. Through experiments using cutting-edge technologies, the program has yielded major clinical advances including new understanding of the critical role of nutrition in burn care, methods for immediate wound excision and closure in severely injured patients, and the development of artificial skin.

With funding from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the Center has a long history of successfully integrating basic laboratory observations into patient care. In addition to a dedication to cutting-edge basic and clinical research, the Center highly values the training of a cadre of able clinical investigators and maintains an active training program.

In keeping with the rising importance of interdisciplinary research in biomedicine, Center faculty span a wide array of expertise including surgery and critical care, internal medicine, radiology, molecular and cellular biology, veterinary medicine, chemistry, engineering, physics, and bioinformatics. An ongoing collaborative relationship with the Boston Shriners Hospital provides invaluable opportunities for cross-fertilization of knowledge, equipment-sharing, and a vibrant local scientific community. In all, this rich blend of talent provides fertile ground for discovery in burn and trauma injury research.

The Center has an extended and productive track record of scientific accomplishments, and the team is capitalizing on the use of modern technological innovations to probe how the body deals with major injury. Better understanding of these mechanisms will lead to improved therapies and recovery schemes.

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