June 2016 CÚRAM Researchers to Host Three Key Symposia at Prominent Conference in Sweden

CÚRAM researchers involved in the coordination of three major EU funded projects; ‘AngioMatTrain’, ‘Tendon Therapy Train’ and ‘Neurograft’, are hosting three symposia at the prestigious TERMIS-EU 2016 conference in Uppsala, Sweden this week. Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director at CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices, based at NUI Galway, will also present a keynote talk.

The Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) is one of the most prominent organisations in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine globally and attracts interest from the highest levels of the scientific community in biomedical research.

The projects featured at the conference are coordinated by CÚRAM and funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme and the Horizon 2020 programme. CÚRAM investigators are currently coordinating eight large scale research consortia funded by the EU FP7 and Horizon 2020 programmes.

Another CÚRAM researcher, Dilip Thomas, is Chair-Elect for the EU Student and Young Investigator section (SYIS) of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). SYIS provides a platform for the next generation of scientists and engineers in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to interact. SYIS aims to further the professional and scientific development of its members.

Professor Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM, stated: “Our strong presence at TERMIS-EU 2016 is an indication of the relevance of CÚRAM’s research within Europe. We will continue to initiate collaborative research, with partners from outside of Ireland and look towards funding opportunities within Horizon 2020.”

AngioMatTrain focuses on understanding ischemic diseases, from basics to translation, and is supported by eight full partners (five universities, one hospital and two SMEs). The AngioMatTrain symposium at TERMIS; “Biomaterial-Based Treatments for Ischemic Diseases” is being chaired by Professor Andrea Banfi, Principal Investigator on the project and a leader in the field of angiogenesis from the University Hospital Basal Switzerland. Dr Renza Spelat, a postdoctoral researcher on the project, based at CÚRAM, is chairing the session while three postgraduate researchers will give oral presentations and an additional five will present posters at the conference.

The NeuroGraft Project focuses on injuries and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) which constitute a bottleneck in medical and surgical practice for which no therapy currently exists. NeuroGraft aims to develop stem cell seeded functionalised bio-artificial organs. This exciting concept will be realised through the NeuroGraft consortium, consisting of one academic and four industrial partners (four SMEs), across four countries.

This week’s NeuroGraft symposium at TERMIS, ‘Biomaterial-Based Treatments for Repair After Nerve/ Spinal cord Injury’ will be chaired by Dr Siobhan MacMahon, Investigator within CÚRAM and a Lecturer in Anatomy at NUI Galway and will feature Dr James Phillips, Senior Lecturer, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, and Rachel Ronan, PhD candidate at CÚRAM.

Tendon Therapy Train will develop the world’s first three-dimensional, cell-assembled prototype for human and equine patients suffering tendon injuries. The Tendon Therapy Train consortium is led by Dr Dimitrios Zeugolis at CÚRAM at NUI Galway and is further comprised of six academic, three clinical and seven industry partners. Dr Zeugolis will chair two sessions this week at TERMIS, titled ‘Clinical Tissue Engineering’ and ‘Tendon Biology: A Blueprint to Engineer Functional Tissue’ with presentations to be given by visiting researcher Diana Pereira and doctoral candidate Christina Ryan.

The goal of the conference is to bring together leading experts within the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine community to present and discuss their latest scientific and clinical developments. Sessions this year are focused on biomaterials and intelligent scaffolds, stem cells, growth factors, activation of developmental and regenerative pathways, and translation of research to the clinic and industry.

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