International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering: Travel Award
International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering: Travel Award
Melanie Georgiou received a travel award from the Society for Biological Engineering and the International Society for Stem Cell Research to attend the 3rd International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering in Seattle, US. The theme of the meeting was ‘Designing Cellular Therapies’ and the programme and abstracts are available here.
Read more »New Paper: Using a 3D culture model to understand the effect of PDT on neurons
Our paper “Inhibition of specific cellular antioxidant pathways increases the sensitivity of neurons to meta-tetrahydroxyphenyl chlorin-mediated photodynamic therapy in a 3D co-culture model” reveals new information about how neurons can survive photodynamic therapy (PDT) cancer treatments. By using a co-culture system that maintained neurons and glial cells in a 3D environment we were able to identify […]
Read more »Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarship
We have been awarded a Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarship to support a student working on the project “Using a 3D culture system to monitor the astrocyte response to potential stem cell therapies for CNS damage”. This will take place in the summer of 2012 and will complement other ongoing project to use our nervous […]
Read more »New Paper: 3D culture system models inhibitory interfaces in the damaged nervous system
Our new Tissue Engineering paper “Engineering an integrated cellular interface in 3-dimensional hydrogel cultures permits monitoring of reciprocal astrocyte and neuronal responses” describes a novel cell culture system that recreates key cellular features of the injured spinal cord. Following CNS trauma, astrocytes become reactive and a microenvironment develops that inhibits neuronal regeneration. Our new model mimics that […]
Read more »PhD Success
Congratulations to Sarah Mason who successfully passed her PhD viva examination on 21st December. Sarah’s PhD Thesis title is “Examining the relationship between ultrastructural features and tensile properties in joint and non joint regions of peripheral nerve” and her project revealed new information about peripheral nerve biomechanics and anatomy.
Read more »New research project involving industrial collaboration
The group has started an exciting new project in collaboration with TAP Biosystems to develop advanced CNS tissue models for neuroscience research. The project will run for 3 years from October 2011 and will involve close collaboration between scientists and engineers to develop viable production technology to generate advanced culture systems for research and development. […]
Read more »New nerve biomechanical anatomy paper
The paper “An ultrastructural and biochemical analysis of collagen in rat peripheral nerves: the relationship between fibril diameter and mechanical properties” by Sarah Mason and James Phillips has been published this week in the Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System. This research revealed that median nerves at the elbow joint showed a pattern of smaller […]
Read more »Glial Cells in Health and Disease, Prague 2011
Staff from the OU attended the 2011 European Glial Cells in Health and Disease meeting in Prague in September. Dr Jane Loughlin organised and co-chaired a symposium entitled “3D neural cell culture – using tissue-like microenvironments to model normal and pathological neural/glial cell behaviours” which attracted widespread interest from delegates and involved presentations from researchers in […]
Read more »Feature in Research Highlights brochure
Our recent spinal cord injury research project has been selected for inclusion in the University’s latest ‘Research Highlights’ brochure. Research Highlights is where the Open University showcases a carefuly selected sample of research from its portfolio. To find out more about research at the Open University visit http://www.open.ac.uk/research/
Read more »Tissue and Cell Engineering Society, Leeds 2011
Group members attended the TCES annual meeting in Leeds in July and presented work on peripheral nerve repair and electrophysiological recording from 3D neuronal cultures. Mel gave a talk on aligned cellular and acellular collagen guidance substrates for peripheral nerve repair and we presented a poster describing how dorsal root ganglion neurons maintained in a 3D […]
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