New director for tissue regeneration centre
May 2006A £1.45m grant from the North West Development Agency has allowed the University to establish the UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration (UKCTR), where researchers from across campus are investigating ways of making tissues reproduce themselves.
Based within the new Core Technology Facility on Grafton Street, researchers at the Centre hope one day to facilitate the growing of new tendons, blood vessels, skin and even replacement organs for patients with conditions from diabetes to heart disease.
Professor Giorgio Terenghi, of the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, has recently been appointed the Centre’s Director. He said: “I am thrilled to have taken on this role, as the approach we are taking here has huge potential. Ultimately, if someone has an organ which doesn’t work, we would be able to build them a spare part.”
The technique combines a patient’s cells, including stem cells, with biomaterials and nurtures them in the laboratory for implantation back into the patient.
“The technique could be applied to decrease disability and care needs, hopefully reducing the burden on the NHS,” Giorgio continued. “This is a new type of intervention and approach to patient care, which we hope will become an alternative to prescribing drugs.
“It’s important that the Centre looks at everything from the basic science all the way through to its medical application, and bridges the gap between academia and medical care.”
Although the UKCTR is still a long way from growing complete organs, if successful its approach could help combat problems like patient tissue-rejection and a scarcity of donated organs. The team also hope it could be extended to treat nerve injuries, some forms of back pain and even neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s.
