UK technology Strategy Board progresses with cell therapy projects
This article was originally published in Scrip
The UK Technology Strategy Board, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Medical Research Counciland Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, are to invest £6.3 million in nine new R&D projects in the field of cell therapy.
The collaborators hope to increase the UK's presence in the field of regenerative medicine, the worldwide market for which is estimated to reach $500 billion by 2010, the Technology Strategy Board says.
The projects include the development of a bioprocess for the bulk culture of pluripotent ES cells, which is partnered with NovaThera and the University of Manchester; development of a wound healing system under collaborations with Neotherix, Complement Genomics and SensaPharm; and a project on an automated system for rapidly producing 3D tissue constructs using corneal limbal stem cells.
In another project, Azellon will collaborate with two UK universities on cell bandage technology - a novel technology in which a biomembrane controls the movement of stem cells between two tissue surfaces.
OrthoMimetics will work with the company Devro and the University of Cambridge to establish proof of concept in enhanced tissue joint regeneration platforms; and Bioceramic Therapeutics will lead the development of a novel cell therapy designed to stimulate and sustain tissue regeneration.
The funding represents the latest technology R&D investment and the Strategy Board plans to make announcements about further investments shortly. The Technology Strategy Board was established by the government to promote and support research into technology and innovation for UK businesses.