Technologies for expansion, transport and delivery of cell therapies for regenerative medicine applications.
PhD Supervisor(s): Kevin Shakesheff, Felicity Rose, Rob Thomas
Contact Email:toby.gould@nottingham.ac.uk
Undergraduate Degree: BSc Chemistry (University of Sheffield); MSc Analytical and Pharmaceutical Science (Loughborough University)
PhD Summary
Improve the cell therapy product pathway from expansion and the transport to the care giving facility.
To assess the utility of novel materials for expanding populations of therapeutic cells. To investigate the tolerance of stem cells when cultured at less than optimum conditions with a view to understanding the feasibility of ambient live cell transport and to apply these cells to a novel scaffold material designed for the regeneration of the mastoid bone air cell network.
Cells were cultured on a temperature sensitive magnetic particle gel and the growth kinetics and cell recovery was measured. hMSC cells were maintained at temperatures and conditions other than the optimum and measured for onset of apoptosis and cell death to model an ambient temperature live cell delivery device. A material capable of regenerating the mastoid air cell structure and releasing a broad spectrum antibiotic ciprofloxacin was investigated. The material based on PLGA/PEG microparticles with included alginate gel beads that is pastable at room temperature and sinters at body temperature. It was shown to support the growth of progenitor hMSCs and to release antibiotic with varying profiles depending upon the type of formulation.
Skills & Techniques
Publications, Presentations and Awards
Publications
Oral Presentations
Current Employment
Post-Doctoral Researcher at Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre, Child Health, Queens Medical Centre, The University of Nottingham, developing a novel, pastable, polymer material for the direct delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme.
