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Exciting PhD Opportunities!!

The Impact of Cellular Agriculture on Land Use and the Environment in the UK and Africa

Summary: Funded by the NERC OnePlanet doctoral training partnership (Northumbria-Newcastle) and working with Paul Bartels at WildBio in South Africa. This highly interdisciplinary project will include original research in sustainable ‘cultivated meat’ biotechnologies and an assessment of their global impact using environmental science, and includes a research placement with Paul in South Africa. Ideally suited to a biosciences graduate with experience of animal cell culture and interests in cultivated meat, bioengineering, bioprocessing and environmental science. Read more about OnePlanet here: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/one-planet/studentships/

NU-Bone: Antler BioDesign for structural tissue engineering and cellular agriculture

Summary: This PhD will develop in vitro biotechnologies to create living bone structures for applications in cellular agriculture (cultivated meat), bio-machine interfaces, engineering, design and novel consumer products. In this project, you will develop a methodology to grow human-designed 3D structures from deer antler stem cells in bioreactors, combining cutting edge research in stem cell biology, cellular agriculture, bioprocessing, bioreactor engineering, nanotechnology, mechanobiology and design engineering. Details here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lrzzWcQI3L0fmTR7O5feOec1w98WKVST/view?usp=sharing

Please email James Henstock for more details. james.henstock@northumbria.ac.uk

Annual Conference

We are delighted to announce some of the fabulous speakers at this years annual conference.

Alongside this very special anniversary event for the Society, we welcome many of the founding society members who established the basis of this community now 22 years ago.

This is set to be an amazing event, with abstracts coming in spanning fundamental chemistry of biomaterials to clinical translation.

We have sponsorship already from the following companies – please do get in touch should you wish to exhibit at our event.

EPSRC CDT in Advanced Biomedical Materials

Fully-funded 4-year studentships are available – Apply now!

Would you like to help generate life-changing research to improve the health quality of a rapidly growing and ageing population? If so, our Advanced Biomedical Materials (ABM) Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) could be the right place for you. We offer you the chance to work on projects tackling global healthcare challenges alongside world-leading academics and industry partners. Take a look and apply for one of these projects: https://bit.ly/3D4JNjD

For more information, including how to apply: www.manchester.ac.uk/abm-cdt
Any questions, please email: cdt-advbiomedmat@manchester.ac.uk

30-Nov-21-ABM-CDT-Flyer

Vacancy 3-year PDRA

Research Associate
Musculoskeletal Bioengineering and Injury Modelling, Loughborough University

This research project will model the mechanisms of skeletal muscle injury and regeneration, employing complex multi-cellular bioengineered models as an experimental test platform.

Potential applicants should have at least a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in sport and exercise science, human physiology, biochemistry or a related subject, and have successfully completed a PhD in cell biology, tissue engineering or a related subject area. Previous post-doctoral research experience or expertise in musculoskeletal biology would be favourable.

This full-time post is offered on a fixed-term contract for three years.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Professor Mark Lewis, Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology, via email to M.P.Lewis@lboro.ac.uk.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 23 January 2022.

The advert is posted here;

https://vacancies.lboro.ac.uk/jobdesc/REQ211288.PDF

ESB-2021 Porto

The 31st Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials that will be held in Porto, Portugal, from September 5-9, 2021. At present it is not clear if it will be in-person, virtual or a hybrid conference but we all hope that things can return to normal soon. 

More conference details can be found here, with a call for abstracts currently open until March 15th 2021

Vacancy for Associate Professor/Professor of 3D Models in Health & Disease

UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science

DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL SUNDAY 20th SEPTEMBER AT 23:59 GMT

UCL are seeking to appoint an Associate Professor or Professor of 3D Models in Health and Disease, who will help develop strategic research in this area. The Professor will be attached to the Research Department of Targeted Intervention, at the Bloomsbury campus. This is a new appointment for an academic with an international reputation, a strong track record of extensive publications in high quality peer-reviewed scientific journals, and a track record of successful funded research in regenerative medicine and specifically in laboratory models of tissues for testing and functional implantation, reducing the use of animal experimentation. The appointment will be key to the cross-disciplinary campus-wide initiative in regenerative medicine, also aligned with research initiatives of the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, UCLH and Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, our partner trusts. The postholder will be part of the new Centre of 3D Models of Health and Disease and help develop strategic research in regenerative medicine within the Division and beyond. The postholder is expected to strengthen the existing regenerative medicine network across disciplines. The Professor will contribute to the research culture and profile of the Campus, Department and Division.

To apply for the vacancy please click here

Previous applicants need not apply.

For informal enquiries about the post please contact Professor Mark Hamer at m.hamer@ucl.ac.uk or Dr Umber Cheema at u.cheema@ucl.ac.uk.
If you have any queries on the application process, please contact Faith Hanstater at f.hanstater@ucl.ac.uk quoting job reference 1869952.

Further information about the UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science can be found on our website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/surgery.

BlogSpot: Joint Virtual Conference 24-25th June 2020

Dr Caroline S. Taylor, PDRA, University of Sheffield

My research in peripheral nerve repair (PNR) was featured at the joint UKSB/CDT conference. I delivered a 3 minute flash presentation about the potential of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as scaffold materials for PNR and was delighted to receive the runner up prize. PHAs are an attractive material of choice in tissue engineering as they are biocompatible, biodegradable and elimate concerns used with other FDA approved synthetic polymers. Using a novel ex vivo nerve injury model, a combination of 3D printing and electrospinning, different materials, and fibre diameters, can be investigated for PNR with medium throughput. PHAs were significantly better at promoting longer neurite outgrowth distances, and Schwann cell migration distances, from Dorsal root ganglia, compared to a polycaprolactone control.

Image of my flash presentation and schematic diagram of the 3D ex vivo model used to test different material scaffolds.

The virtual conference was absolutely brilliant. It was well organised, ran smoothly and a variety of topics in Biomaterials and tissue engineering were discussed. The conference began with a talk from the key note speaker Prof Liam Grover who talked about his work using additive manufacturing techniques in areas of bone/cartilage and skin regeneration, and cornea repair. Two sessions ran parallel to each other after the key note talk, in which I attended clinical applications 1, followed by the poster discussion session. I particularly enjoyed clinical applications 2, on day 2 of the conference, and the talks by Jessica Wiseman and Simon C. Kellaway.  Jessica’s talk highlighted the use of neurosurgical grade biomaterial Duragen PlusTM, containing collagen type 1, to repair traumatic spinal cord injury and Simon’s talk used an alternative approach to PNR engineering Neural Tissue from Decellularised Biomaterials. Both these talks compliment my own research in PNR. Overall, the virtual conference was a huge success and I would like to thank the organisers for including my work in the programme.


Caroline submitted the blog as part of the conference competition. She has been selected and has won herself an intensive 2-day training course in lyphilisation sponsered by Biopharma Group. Well done!

Dr Paul Roach, UKSB President

Registration Now Open

Please use the following link to register interest in attending the Future Leaders in Regenerative Medicine Joint UKSB CDT conference 24-25th June.

>>> Register Here <<<

This will be a free conference for UKSB members and those involved in the CDTs. We hope that many will join from near and far to highlight our research and support the development of further network developments.

Prof Liam Grover, University of Birmingham, will be giving a keynote presentation, with more details to follow shortly.

There will be a range of sessions held across our focussed research areas, with talk slots and online poster presentations. If you wish to join our virtual audience and/or submit a poster please register for membership and get in touch.

Job Advert

Research Assistant, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences

King’s College London (KCL), London, United Kingdom

The salary will be paid at Grade 5, £32,676 per annum, inclusive of £3,500 per annum London Allowance.
This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 12 months.
This is a full-time post.

Applications are invited for Research Assistant to work alongside with Dr Sherif Elsharkawy in the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Science at King’s College London. The research project will be focused on the design, synthesis and purification of recombinant mutated and non-mutated proteins, known to be involved in dental hard tissue development. These proteins will be employed to fabricate protein-based matrices to understand biomineralization mechanisms at multiple lengthscale. The goal will be to generate in vitro models to investigate developmental and pathological mineralisation. Alongside with the principal investigator, the candidate will play a major role in setting up a Biomineralization Lab at King’s College London.

Ideally, you will have (or near completion) a PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, Molecular Biology, or Engineering and experience in biomineralization as well as one or more of the following areas:

1) Protein Production.

2) Protein-based mineralization.

3) Disordered proteins.

4) Hierarchical materials.

The selection process will include a panel interview and a presentation.

To apply, please register with the King’s College London application portal and complete your application online.

Informal enquiries should be emailed to  Dr Sherif Elsharkawy at sherif.elsharkawy@kcl.ac.uk

Closing date: Midnight on Friday 24 January 2020

Banner caption: SHY-SY5Y artistic (Jordan Roe)
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