Friday, 18 October 2019
Regenerative Medicine – Phase 2 funding taking radical new therapies to the front line
The University of Nottingham will be expanding its research into tissue regeneration to treat blast injuries after receiving a share of a new funding award.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham will continue to research a novel approach to preserve and regenerate soft tissue after blast and ballistic trauma through transient gene therapy. Preserving living tissue after injury is critically important and will significantly improve quality of life.
The University of Bristol has also received a share of the 500k funding that has been awarded at Phase 2 of the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Regenerative Medicine themed competition which is facilitated and managed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) on behalf of the MOD, in partnership with the Academic Department of Military Surgery and Trauma (ADMST).
Advanced therapy for use in the field
Dealing with damage caused by blast or ballistic trauma, which may involve significant blood loss and multiple complex wounds, is a challenge for even the most sophisticated medical facility. Yet to do this in the austere and remote environments within which the military operate further complicates the delivery of medical care. Approaches in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine hold great promise for the treatment of injured service personnel and the new ‘Defence regenerative medicine research strategy’ is focussed on delivering such advanced therapies in a way suitable for use in the field early after injury.
The ReGENErate project from Dr James Dixon’s group at the University of Nottingham uses the novel approach of a safe and effective gene therapy developed at the School of Pharmacy with negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) that is deployed by the military to treat wounds such as blast and ballistic trauma. This innovativeproject aims to deliver growth-factor and anti-inflammatory genes to wounds via the vacuum generated by using NPWT, making the wound heal more effectively and rapidly.
The first phase showed this was possible in models of skin wounds, this next stage will be to show how effective the therapy could be in real living skin samples. The idea is this therapy can be deployed at the front line as an enhancer of the NPWT technology and there are several industrial stakeholders interested in the technology if Dr Dixon’s team can demonstrate the beneficial effect of the approach with this next funding.
We hope that our system can represent a new approach to applying gene therapy to regenerative medicine applications, and that this can have impact on healing of trauma on the battle field and could help with chronic wounds like ulcers or in scaring. The DASA funding will help accelerate the research so we can exemplify the technology with the aim to trial the system in a deployable format in the next proposal.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr James Dixon, in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 7486313, james.dixon@nottingham.ac.uk or Jane Icke, Media Relations Manager for the Faculty of Science at the University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 74 86462or jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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