Our Research - Tissue Re-engineering

Supported by our intellectual property portfolio on immunocompatible biomimetic natural scaffolds, and led by Professor Eileen Ingham in the Faculty of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with NHS Blood & Transplant Tissue Services and Tissue Regenix, we are researching and developing functional soft tissue solutions for life critical applications.

Biomimetic natural scaffolds which retain the essential biological and biomechanical attributes of the natural tissue offer great potential for the re-engineering and regeneration of cardiovascular and orthopaedic tissues in which restoration of physical function is critical immediately upon implantation. Our biomimetic natural acellular scaffolds can be implanted directly and regenerated by the recipients own endogenous stem cells, or can be regenerated with differentiated or stem cells in vitro in bespoke physically interactive bioreactors.

We aim to become one of the globally leading research centres for functional engineering of soft tissues for orthopaedic and cardiovascular applications.

Current Research

Tissue engineering is defined as the development of biological substitutes for implantation into the body and/or the fostering of tissue regeneration and remodelling, with the purpose being to replace, repair, maintain or enhance function. Our focus is upon understanding the mechanisms of in vivo and in vitro regeneration of acellular natural biomimetic scaffolds, as well as their clinical translation.

We are currently investigating heart valves, cardiovascular patches and blood vessels, ligaments, meniscus and osteochondral tissues. We are also investigating the utility of self assembling peptides to deliver enhanced biological functionality and as injectable lubricants for articular cartilage repair. We utilize both experimental and computational approaches to understand the effects of mechanical stimuli on acellular biomimetic scaffold regeneration in bespoke physically interactive bioreactors. Novel methods for acellular biomimetic scaffold production and matrix recellularisation have been patented. This work is carried out in collaboration with the NHS Blood & Transplant Tissue Services and is supported by EPSRC, RegeNer8, NIHR, DOH and industry.

Follow the link for a list of our current research projects.

Future Research

The long term performance of implanted biological scaffolds, with or without cells, will be governed by interactive biological and physical processes. Current research is aimed at understanding the interactions between mechanical stimuli, mesenchymal stem cells and acellular natural scaffolds in bespoke physically interactive bioreactors. These collaborative projects offer novel approaches to understanding the regenerative potential of our natural and enhanced biological scaffolds.

Follow the link for a list of our planned future research projects.