The older a person gets, the slower the healing process with wounds and sores becomes. Part of the reason may be poor blood circulation.

An open wound is also an open invitation to infection, and where a person lives can increase or decrease the risk of infection. Residential homes can, at times, be places where the risk of infection is higher, partly due to the general health of the residents and also the health of visitors.

As we record elsewhere in the section about MRSA, for instance, it isn’t known how many of us are carriers of such diseases.

PDT shows repeatedly its ability to re-condition the body’s cells – seen most obviously in skin cancers and with the lining of the oesophagus in the case of Barrett’s.

A group of dermatologists in the UK are already experimenting with PDT in two key ways. The first is to destroy infection and, in doing so, speed up the overall healing process.

The charity is keen to explore the use of PDT in this important area, and quite modest funding is required.

One reason for this is that patients do not require any anaesthetic or overnight stay in hospital following treatment.

This use of PDT could be researched very speedily, given the number of available patients. This new use of PDT could be approved and in national or international use within a year, if the approvals body shows the willingness.

UK centres expected to be involved include the Christie in Manchester, Colin Morton in Central Scotland, and Dr Alison Curnow’s team in Truro.

This, together with other PDT skin cancer work, could also involve teams at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

One other possible spin-off from this work could be the use of PDT to re-condition the skin for burns victims.