News and updates
Training the next generation of clinicians
The EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine is very pleased to support four summer training projects that allow undergraduate medical students to get a flavour of regenerative medicine manufacturing research. The INSPIRE programme at Keele University provides research placements for medical students interested in science and engineering subjects, and for the summer of 2014, four placements have been designed to include engagement with companies working in the regenerative medicine sector.
The students successful in securing the placements are:
- Emma Parr – working on a project entitled ‘Can magnetic hyperthermia safely enhance magnetic nanoparticle labelling of neural stem cells?’, in collaboration with nanoTherics Ltd and supervised by Dr Divya Chari and Dr Neil Telling of Keele University.
- Luke Sterio – working on a project entitled ‘How does drug treatment alter the protein profile of stem cells?’, in collaboration with Waters Corporation Centre of Mass Spectrometry Excellence and supervised by Dr Sarah Hart.
- Brian Chondo – working on a project entitled ‘Using a novel multifunctional magnetic nanoparticle with a state-of-the-art ‘magnetofection’ device to enhance gene transfer to neural transplant cells’, in collaboration with nanoTherics Ltd and supervised by Dr Divya Chari and Dr Neil Telling of Keele University, and Dr Humphrey Yiu of Heriot Watt University.
- Theo El Sayed Omar – working on a project entitled ‘Can we design a magnetic bandage to control stem cell behaviour in the body?’, sponsored by PA Consulting and supervised by Prof Alicia El Haj, Dr Hareklea Markides and Dr Neil Telling.
Matched funding has been obtained from the British Mass Spectroscopy Society, PA Consulting and Keele University, and we are grateful for this support.
Dr Sophie Dale-Black, Head of Engagement at the EPSRC Centre, said: “We are delighted to support the INSPIRE programme as this combines the EPSRC Centre’s target areas of commercial engagement, training of the next generation and raising awareness of careers in the regenerative medicine sector. I’m very grateful to Dr Divya Chari for her coordination of these projects, and to our co-funders PA Consulting, the British Mass Spectroscopy Society and Keele University for their financial support.”
Dr Divya Chari, Lead for Medical Intercalated Degrees and Co-Lead for the INSPIRE programme at the Keele Medical School said: “We are really grateful to the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine for their generous support of this exciting new initiative. There is a strong national drive currently to develop a range of research opportunities for medical students, in order to train the next generation of medical researchers. The current scheme will help to address an important gap, namely familiarising future clinicians with the opportunities and the need to engage with industry.”
Keele Medical School has recently been ranked 4th in the UK by the Guardian.