A UNIVERSITY of Brighton researcher has been awarded £10,000 to study why some burns wounds don’t respond to antibiotics as well as they should.

Simon Booth is examining whether burns patients with wound infection receive high enough doses of antibiotics to treat the wound infection.

The study, approved by the National Research Ethics Service, involves taking blood and wound fluid samples to see whether there is sufficient concentrations in the wound compared to blood and if the bacteria in the wound have resistance to the antibiotics.

Mr Booth, seconded from the Queen Victoria Hospital Burns Centre at East Grinstead, said: “Burns wounds infections are very common and yet people who are given antibiotics do not always improve, even when we know the bacteria should be killed by the antibiotics.

“This is particularly concerning with the rise of antimicrobial resistant infections.”

Mr Booth, a Research Fellow in the university’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, will be collecting wound samples from four other regional burns centres.

The award is from the Hospital Saturday Fund, a charity helping individuals with medical conditions or disabilities and providing funds for medical projects for hospitals, hospices, medical organisations.

The £10,000 is the maximum award the charity provides.

Mr Booth, working towards a Masters in Clinical Research at the university, said: “I am very grateful to the Hospital Saturday Fund for seeing the value of this research.

“It will give clinicians vital information about antibiotic prescribing and help in the fight to reduce antimicrobial resistance.”

The Queen Victoria Hospital, located in East Grinstead, is the specialist reconstructive surgery centre for the south east of England, and also provides services at clinics across the region.