InnoScot Health is backing a Glasgow-led initiative which is helping to shape the future of stem cell manufacturing, with innovative advancements accelerating patient access to personalised regenerative medicines

Supported by £11 million in UK Research and Innovation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding and £1.5 million in partner support, the project aims to develop cutting-edge biomaterials and scalable technologies for the benefit of large numbers of patients.

Those behind the research and partnership hub for health technologies in Manufacturing Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine, Immunotherapy and Cancer (MAINSTREAM) say it is making stem cell production “affordable, efficient, and sustainable, paving the way for next-generation cell therapies”.

A key partner in healthcare innovation ambitions for Scotland, InnoScot Health believes that MAINSTREAM’s forward-thinking manufacturing technologies, aligned to a strongly collaborative ethos, are creating a global centre of excellence.

MAINSTREAM brings together world-leading partners, with the six-year hub led by the University of Glasgow in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, NHS Greater and Glasgow and Clyde, and many more drawn from industry, clinical practice, as well as the charity and public sectors.

Innovation Commercialisation Manager at InnoScot Health, Frances Ramsay said: “MAINSTREAM is using pioneering technology to manufacture human stem cells outside the body which enables their large-scale production for tissue repair, cancer treatment, and regenerative medicine.

“More specifically, it could promote tissue regeneration to repair broken bones, help with transplant therapies and the regeneration of healthy bone marrow after chemotherapy, while assisting the development of new approaches to blood cancer treatment.

“Essentially, MAINSTREAM is making new therapies a reality, both in the UK and around the world, while unlocking huge potential through new techniques to control the behaviour of adult stem cells.

“The project is also highly collaborative, ensuring a strong cross-disciplinary approach involving clinicians, industry partners, patients and the public in co-creating solutions.

“The latter commitment to Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) is considered vital to successful progress across the full research lifecycle — from idea generation right through to implementation.”

MAINSTREAM Hub Director Matthew Dalby is Professor of Cell Engineering at the University of Glasgow. Hub Co-Director Manuel Salmeron-Sanchez is Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Co-Director of the Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment (CeMi).

The InnoScot Health team offers a wealth of expertise in everything from intellectual property and regulatory affairs to funding and commercialisation and has vast experience of working with the triple helix of NHS, industry, and academia.

The organisation launched a new innovation call last month in a bid to inspire early-stage innovators such as students and emerging NHS staff across Scotland and draw out solutions to unmet healthcare needs.