Media Guide

About RAFT

RAFT is a registered charity pioneering medical research into improved treatments for burns, wounds and other skin traumas.

RAFT was set up in 1988 by four consultant plastic surgeons.  As well as wanting to provide a place where research could be carried out, they wanted to create an environment where surgeons and scientists could work together to bring rapid advances to patient care.

At present RAFT’s core areas of research are:
Burns and Wound Healing
Skin Cancer Research

Useful statistics

Skin Cancer
There are more than 67,000 new cases of skin cancer in the UK each year. 8,900 of which are malignant melanoma – the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK.

Melanoma is one of the few cancers to affect young adults being the most common cancer in young people (aged 15 – 34 years). Melanoma is the most difficult cancer to treat, being resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Over 1,800 people die from melanoma each year, that is 5 people every day.

Using sunbeds before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma skin cancer by up to 75%. Prevention remains a public health priority in reducing its incidence.

Our statistics are obtained from Cancer Research UK’s website.

Burns & Wound Healing
Each year around 20,000 patients suffer with chronic wounds, with a 1:50 lifetime risk of developing an ulcer.

In the UK, 14,000 serious burn injuries require hospital treatment, with 300 hospital fatalities each year, figures that have remained steady over the years. The NHS spends £3 billion a year caring for patients suffering with chronic wounds e.g. diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers and venous ulcers. Large open wounds are prone to life-threatening infections.

Our work

Skin Cancer Research
Our work into Skin Cancer is looking at prevention, education and therapy.  RAFT’s team is also investigating whether certain individuals are more susceptible to skin cancer, and whether preventative action can be taken.

Burns & Wound Healing
When a burn or a chronic wound destroys the full thickness of the skin, the body can never regenerate this lost tissue. RAFT is working on an innovative skin replacement that could provide an improved solution to this life-threatening problem.

The team is now performing rigorous testing in preparation for the next stage of development, setting up to manufacture under the standards required to perform a clinical trial.

RAFT Spokespeople

Leonor Stjepic
Chief Executive
Leonor has been Chief Executive of RAFT since October 2007. She has worked professionally in the charity sector since 1995 but has been involved with charities for 25 years since helping to set up the Amnesty Working Group for Children at the age of nineteen. Prior to joining RAFT, Leonor was the first Executive Director of the Galapagos Conservation Trust. Prior to that Leonor worked for the National Playing Fields Association within the fundraising department. Having previously run her own business for a number of years, Leonor has worked in a number of roles within the commercial sector, from the music industry through to publishing. Leonor is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management and a Fellow of the RSA.

Dr Rachel Haywood BSc (Hons) PhD
Group Leader, Skin Cancer Research
Dr Haywood is the Group Leader for RAFT’s Skin Cancer Research programme. Her work at RAFT is recognised within the field as world class and her expert knowledge in the area of UVA and free radical damage to the skin is extensive.

Rachel initiated work into the effectiveness of sunscreens in protecting against UVA and free radical damage to skin. This led to extensive press interest in 2003 in the paper “Sunscreens inadequately protect against UVA-induced free radical damage to skin: implications for skin ageing and melanoma” which has contributed to the change in EU and US legislation with respect to claims made in relation to sunscreen UVA protection. Her work has led to the further understanding of UVA damage to skin, the role of melanin in skin photoprotection, and the development of a new method of UVA testing for sunscreen efficacy.

Research carried out by Rachel and her team into how sun cream should be applied is now part of the Cancer Research UK SunSmart Campaign – the UK’s National Skin Cancer Prevention Campaign.

Rachel was invited to speak at the 7th World Melanoma Conference in May 2009.

Dr Julian Dye MA PhD
Group Leader, Burns & Wound Healing
Dr Dye joined RAFT is 2001, taking the opportunity to draw on his previous experience in surgical research, as well as his specialist interest in endothelial cell biology, and his underlying practical motivation to find a solution to improving treatment for skin loss.

Julian was able to develop and exploit some the germinal ideas from his PhD studies, which lead to formulating the idea of the Smart Matrix as a scaffold which is intrinsically able to promote ingress of blood capillaries. Currently he has established a team which is working hard to develop the Smart matrix to the demanding standards required for use in patients.

General information

Charlie Harrison on Charlie.Harrison@pelhampr.com or Leonor Stjepic on ceo@raft.ac.uk or on 07814706 144

Please quote our website www.raft.ac.uk when referring to RAFT.