NanoKTN’s NanoRegen Focus Group to Champion Successes in Tissue Engineering - Celebration of Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine: Success Stories and Collaborations’

Scientific progress in regenerative medicine is advancing at an exceptional rate and holds the promise of previously unimaginable clinical therapies, helping to solve some of the major unmet medical needs faced by healthcare professions today. Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that applies expertise in clinical medicine, engineering and life sciences and implementation strategies have been developed which aim to improve health and quality of life by restoring, maintaining, or enhancing tissue and organ function. NanoRegen aims to enable the UK tissue engineering community to take a lead in both the advancement and regulation of this field.

With presentations from academia and industry, the event will showcase current successes from those working to develop new biomaterials and scaffolds for use within tissue engineering and is complemented by dedicated time for elevator pitches and partnering meetings, to allow delegates to network effectively.

Professor Simon Donell, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital and Honorary Professor, University of East Anglia, will report on the current use of regenerative medicine in the musculoskeletal system and will discuss the areas for future development. Prof Donell will look at where orthopaedics is now, and the current barriers to regenerative medicine will be discussed, particularly relating to the regulatory permissions at international, national and local levels.

Prof Stefan Przyborski, Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Reinnervate Limited and Professor in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, will provide an overview of research carried out by the Company which has resulted in the development of a unique highly porous polystyrene scaffold that supports genuine 3D cell culture. Prof Przyborski will present evidence showing that cells grown on this polystyrene scaffold display enhanced cell viability, differentiation and function when compared to conventional 2D culture models.

Other speakers are drawn from Orthox, Tigenix and the University of Manchester.

“The field of medical science is developing rapidly and there is no doubt that nanotechnology is helping to resolve some of the industry’s most significant challenges. Many countries are investing heavily in regenerative medicine but the final step of commercialisation still needs to be accomplished,” explains Dr Mike Fisher, Healthcare & Life Sciences Theme Manager at the NanoKTN.

Fisher adds, “Regenerative medicine products have already entered the marketplace, proving a route to market exists. For a UK industry to grow we need to build a solid supply chain. Events like this will encourage a supportive community and provide a valuable opportunity for networking and discussions with colleagues from the nanotechnology, materials, chemistry and regenerative medicine fields.”