Towards cell-free cell therapies

Dr Gareth Williams (primary)
UCL School of Pharmacy
UCL
Dr Rebecca Shipley (secondary)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
UCL

Abstract

The ability of therapeutic cells to regenerate damaged tissue is well established, and a new generation of cell therapies are now reaching the clinic. In order to develop this field further it is essential to understand how cells exert their therapeutic effects. There is mounting evidence that many bioactive compounds underpinning regeneration are clustered in cell-secreted bodies known as extracellular vesicles (EVs). This presents the exciting possibility that application of EVs alone (without implanting cells) can be used in regenerative treatments. This project will use a multidisciplinary approach to develop advanced EV formulations with potential for use in regenerative medicine.


References

1. De Jong, Oliver G.; Van Balkom, Bas W. M.; Schiffelers, Raymond M.; Bouten, Carlijn V. C. and Verhaar, Marianne C. (2014). Extracellular vesicles: potential roles in regenerative medicine. Frontiers in Immunology, 5, 608.
2. Georgiou, Melanie; Golding, Jon P.; Loughlin, Alison J.; Kingham, Paul J. and Phillips, James B. (2015). Engineered neural tissue with aligned, differentiated adipose-derived stem cells promotes peripheral nerve regeneration across a critical sized defect in rat sciatic nerve. Biomaterials, 37, 242–251
3. Lou, Shao-Feng; Wang, Lei; Williams, Gareth R; Nie, Hua-Li; Quan, Jing and Zhu, Li-Min (2014). Galactose functionalized injectable thermoresponsive microgels for sustained protein release. Colloids and Surfaces B, 113, 368
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5. Coy, Rachel H; Evans, Owen R; Phillips, James B and Shipley, Rebecca J (2018). An integrated theoretical-experimental approach to accelerate translational tissue engineering. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 12, e53.


BBSRC Area
Molecules, cells and industrial biotechnology
Area of Biology
BiotechnologyNeurobiology
Techniques & Approaches
ChemistryEngineeringImage ProcessingMicroscopy / ElectrophysiologySimulation / Modelling