World-first burn treatment helps Western University student recover from injuries suffered in fire

Doctors at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) say a Western University student injured in a London fraternity house fire has become the first burn patient in the world to receive an experimental treatment that could transform care for severe burn victims.

Kaitlin Jeffrey, 18, suffered serious burns to her face and neck during a fire at a frat house near Western in December 2025. The blaze sent five people to hospital.

Fire at fraternity house in London sends 5 to hospital

After being transferred to Hamilton General Hospital’s regional burn centre, Jeffrey underwent a groundbreaking treatment using exosomes, which are tiny particles released by cells that help coordinate healing, tissue repair and reduce inflammation.

“My vision for Kaitlin was to avoid skin graft surgery to her face and neck at any cost,” said Dr. Marc Jeschke, vice-president of research and innovation at HHS, burn surgeon and medical director of the hospital’s regional burn program.

Exosomes have been studied for years in burn research but had never before been used in a human burn patient, according to HHS. While the particles have shown promise in other wound-healing applications, Jeffrey became the first person in the world to receive the treatment for burns.

With the support of Jeffrey and her family, Jeschke applied to Health Canada to use the therapy on compassionate grounds. After receiving no objection, doctors administered two exosome treatments several days apart using one trillion exosomes sourced from the United States.

Jeschke said traditional skin grafts can save lives and restore damaged tissue, but often leave significant scarring and cannot return skin to its original appearance.

“You can do the best graft on the planet, but you won’t return the skin to normal,” he said.

Jeffrey said the results have been life-changing.

“It’s honestly a miracle,” she said. “Being injured in the fire has also had a deep impact on my mental health, and it’s something I’m continuing to deal with. But having such good results, particularly to my face, is helping me move forward.”

Researchers at HHS hope further study and clinical trials will eventually make exosome therapy a standard treatment option for burn patients in Canada and around the world.