PhD/MPhil Cell and Tissue Engineering

OVERVIEW

PhD: The multidisciplinary Bioengineering and Therapeutics Group, comprises a multi-disciplinary team linked to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital at Oswestry with a major focus on enabling technologies involved in cell and tissue engineering and introduction to the clinic of cell therapies for regenerative medicine.

Specific expertise includes active clinical cell therapies, enabling technology development associated with environmental chambers or bioreactor design, targeting and delivery vehicles and strategies using magnetic nanoparticles, control of differentiation of tissue specific stem cells and skeletal stem cells. The grouping holds an EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre in Regenerative Medicine since 2009 run jointly with Nottingham and Loughborough.

The Institute has commenced the first UK MRC multi-centre trial (ACTIVE) into cell therapy in connective tissues. The two hospital sites have GMP cell therapy labs for culture and delivery of human cells on site. Recently, the group has been awarded as partner the first EPSRC Innovative Manufacturing Centre in Regenerative Medicine, which aims to initiate and improve links to industry for taking cell therapies to market for clear patient benefit and the team is part of the EXPERTISSUES EU FP6 NOE. The BT group includes links to other research areas listed here such as Respiratory Medicine, Pharmacy, Clinical Science, Imaging and Neurology. The group has commenced a SP3 - People IRSES EU programme (HYANJI) establishing a research network to Universities in China, Tsinghua and Chengdu Universities, Schools of Pharmacy and Biotechnology.