CHICAGO, June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Chicago office of British Midlands Development Corporation announced the opening of the University of Nottingham's Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering and Modeling Center, STEM.
The new unit is part of the University's $50 million Center for Biomolecular Sciences, which opened last year. Today the center provides a work environment for over 300 researchers, fostering collaborative research across multiple disciplines. Its aim is to foster joined-up, cutting-edge research that will tackle the major diseases of our time.
The STEM program has attracted $8 million of funding from research councils to support 70 researchers specializing in cell and molecular biology, tissue engineering and mathematical modeling.
The STEM research environment is critical to the productivity of the discovery group. The model used at STEM fosters side-by-side research while many stem cell scientists operate individually in virtual 'centers'.
The Center recently launched the UK's first stem cell Master's course, which has attracted 15 top students from around the world and is working to attract more PhD candidates.
An example of the type of work being conduced in STEM is a new technique for treating fractures and other medical issues. It involves mixing a gel- like substance with stem cells and chemicals that can be injected into patients suffering from complex fractures. The gel fills in the spaces in the fracture, solidifying at body temperature, helping rebuild broken tissue more quickly.
Another line of research at the Center involves turning embryonic stem cells into heart cells, known as cardiomyocytes. Dr. Chris Denning of the Center is using a heart-specific gene to separate cardiomyocytes from unwanted cell types. One of the most important applications of the research is in screening for the safety of new drugs.
One of the most common reasons why drugs are withdrawn from the market is because they can trigger cardiac toxicity in some people. Pharmaceutical companies are becoming very interested in using stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and liver cells to improve testing.
"The Midlands is home to more than 1,000 Life Sciences companies with particular specialization in a number of fields such as drug discovery, drug delivery, tissue engineering and wound care and bio-imaging," said David Wallace, International and Innovation Director at East Midlands Development Agency.
"We're very excited about the research coming out of the new Center for Biomolecular Sciences," he added, "Activities in the Center add to the already strong research base in the Midlands; one of the most dynamic bio-research centers in Europe and the World."
Bio-research in the Midlands has attracted a number of the world's most active pharma and biotech companies, including AstraZeneca, Aventis, Bayer, Boots, Novartis, Sunrise Medical, Salts Healthcare, Bibby Sterilin, Cobra Biomanufacturing, Sterilox and 3M.
Strong links between academia and industry have resulted in the creation of excellent research and development centers across the region, including many dedicated science parks and incubators. These include BioCity Nottingham (www.biocity.co.uk), the largest bioscience innovation and incubation centre in the UK.
About British Midlands Development Corporation
The British Midlands Development Corporation is the North American economic development agency for central England. The Midlands region is located just one hour to the north of London and includes the major commercial centers of Birmingham, Nottingham, Coventry and Northampton.
As an agency funded by the UK Government, The British Midlands Development Corporation provides specialist advice and support to North American companies seeking to establish a presence or expand a current operation in the region. The British Midlands Development Corporation provides access to business networks, details about sources for grants and funding, business support services, and information to help companies identify opportunities to develop and grow.
The British Midlands Development Corporation is based in Chicago with branch offices in Boston, Washington, DC and San Jose.
CONTACT: Shirar O'Connor-Mugler, +1-646-290-5065, shirar@thepontgroup.com,
or Laura Nicholas, +1-646-290-5989, laura@thepontgroup.com
Web site: http://www.thebritishmidlands.com/
http://www.biocity.co.uk/
