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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/C519868/1
Title: Light activated liposome crosslinking of alginate for rapid prototyping tissue engineering constructs containing cells
Principal Investigator: Shelton, Dr RM
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Dr JJ Harris
Project Partners:
Department: Dentistry
Organisation: University of Birmingham
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 10 January 2005 Ends: 09 July 2006 Value (£): 75,190
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Biomaterials
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Healthcare
Related Grants:
EP/C519876/1
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Replacing damaged, diseased or missing tissues in the human body has developed from originally implanting artificial materials to more recently trying to engineering tissues outside the body before implantation. This engineering relies on making a 3D structure onto which living cells are seeded and allowed to grow outside the body in a laboratory. The intention of using this approach is to improve healing time and the way in which the the structure functions in the body. We are seeking to improve on this using a new technique to print living cells both in and onto a material called alginate in an arrangement that more closely resembles the way different cells are found in the body. The printing of cells and the structure will be carried out in a similar manner to an inkjet printer commonly used for printing documents from computers. The alginate being used sets in the presence of calcium which we will introduce to the system in very small bubbles (invisible to the eye and called liposomes)) that can be broken open using light causing release of their contained calcium and therefore the alginate immediately around the liposomes to se:The advantage of this method used to se: the alginate is that it does not harm the cells which are extremely sensitive and can be killed by changes in temperatures and many chemicals commonly used in setting reactions for materials The alginate that we will make the structures from has already been used for several applications like dressings for wounds and can be naturally removed by cells in the body and, se in the end the implant should be completely replaced by the implanted cells and the cells in the body. Previous researchers have shown that putting cells in different 3D positions changes the way they function, so we believe our way of making an implantable structure should improve the function of the cells and therefore tine speed with which the implant heals and allows the patient to regain full health. Our study is designed to test whether the alginate with cells in and on it represents an improvement compared with other methods used at present and whether we can adapt inkjet printer type machines to make the 3D structures.
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.bham.ac.uk