| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/S031669/1 |
| Title: |
The development and implementation of a six-axis bioreactor for regenerative therapies of the intervertebral disc |
| Principal Investigator: |
Holsgrove, Dr TP |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Exeter |
| Scheme: |
New Investigator Award |
| Starts: |
01 January 2020 |
Ends: |
31 December 2021 |
Value (£): |
222,239
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Tissue Engineering |
Tissue engineering |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Back and neck pain are extremely common conditions globally, and the degeneration of the intervertebral disc is commonly associated with this pain, or is a contributor to the degenerative cascade leading to pain in other structures of the spine. The intervertebral disc is a complex structure, and both the mechanical and biological environment play an important role in the health and maintenance of the disc. However, the effect of complex physiological loading on the cellular behaviour in the disc is unknown, and this limits our understanding of disc degeneration, and our ability to adequately develop and evaluate regenerative treatments for disc degeneration.
This project will develop and implement the first six-axis bioreactor, which will be capable of applying complex physiological loads to whole intervertebral disc cultures. This will provide unique opportunities to investigate the coupling of mechanical and biological environments relating to disc degeneration, and in the development, optimisation, and evaluation of regenerative treatments for the intervertebral disc.
The project will benefit from the support of a Visiting Academic (Professor Justin Cooper-White) who has developed novel, injectable, hydrogel-based regenerative therapy for the intervertebral disc, and the final part of this project will be to evaluate the effectiveness of this therapy.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ex.ac.uk |