Soft Tissue Repair and Regeneration
Key findings, achievements and areas of work:
Scarless healing
- Characterisation of the genotypic/ phenotypic profiles of fibroblasts in scar-free (healing) wounds (£42K RCSEd/RCSI; 2006, European Cell Society Young Investigator prize)
- The isolation and characterisation of stem cells from oral mucosa, leading from the work of MACKENZIE (£98K BBSRC; £142K Smokeless Tobacco; £93K Wellcome Trust) has delivered multi-potent oral stem cells for future clinical use (2007 BSDR Colgate Prize)
- Studies in protease and oxidative stress modification in disease led to the characterisation of patented therapies and biomarkers of healing (£216K Johnson & Johnson; patents EP1245239 U.S. US2003040690)
- Established a unique resource of novel, immortalised reporter cell populations for drug-screening/targeting in human disease (£143K Diabetes UK; £61K Dr Hadwen Trust; £234K MRC/NC3R)
- Production of the first polymer/drug conjugates to stimulate healing (£84K Healing Foundation; 2006 International Polymer Therapeutics Society Young Investigator Prize) and an immediate, real-time reporter system for clinical analytes (£1.45M EPSRC)
Group Members
- Professor Phil Stephens - Professor of Cell Biology, Vice Dean (Research)
- Professor Dave W Thomas - Professor of Oral Surgery
- Dr Ryan Moseley - Lecturer in Tissue Repair & Programme Director CITER MSc in Tissue Engineering
- Dr Elaine Ferguson - Postdoctoral Research Scientist
- Dr Lindsay Davies - Postdoctoral Research Scientist
- Dr Matthew Peake - Postdoctoral Research Scientist
- Mr Richard Webb - Technician