Cellular manufacturing of pluripotent embryonic stem cells in a NovaPod system

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: Dentistry

Abstract

Please see application submitted directly to TSB

Publications

10 25 50

 
Description Various peptides for the inhibition of E-cadherin have been designed and evaluated. They allow the culture of embryonic stem cells in monolayer and suspension culture. Peptides have also allowed the investigation of pathways associated with tumour cell spread and proliferation and allow differentiation of ES cells into neuroprogenitor cells in the absence of exogenous growth factors.
Exploitation Route University of Manchester spin-out company has been formed to exploit the results of this grant.
Sectors Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology

URL http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/christopher.ward/
 
Description Patent awarded in Europe and USA (WO2007088372). Further patent filed in 2012 (WO2014072720). 7 peer-reviewed papers published from this grant. Spin-out company formed to exploit technology (StrataStem Ltd).
First Year Of Impact 2008
Sector Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology
Impact Types Societal,Economic

 
Description EPSRC Stem cell strategy development panel. Royal Society, London. Panel member. 16th March 2009.
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
Impact Stem cell call funded by EPSRC
 
Description TSB Stratified Medicine strategy on neurodegenerative diseases workshop October 2013
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
Impact Call for neurodegenerative diseases funded
 
Description BBSRC Pathfinder award
Amount £13,319 (GBP)
Organisation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 04/2012 
End 05/2012
 
Description BBSRC follow-on-fund
Amount £216,979 (GBP)
Funding ID BB/K020277/1 
Organisation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 04/2013 
End 04/2015
 
Description Crack-It UnTangle NC3Rs
Amount £81,956 (GBP)
Funding ID 35529-259127 
Organisation National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2013 
End 06/2014
 
Description DPUK: Integrated Dementia Research Environment
Amount £6,091,000 (GBP)
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 06/2015 
End 09/2016
 
Description EPSRC Stem cell call
Amount £2,637,207 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/H046070/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2011 
End 12/2014
 
Description IAA Concept study
Amount £62,537 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 04/2015 
End 09/2015
 
Description Microfluidic Modulation of Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation in Well-Defined Microscopic Flow (KTA Award 104: 2010-2011).
Amount £35,243 (GBP)
Organisation University of Sheffield 
Department EPSRC KTA Knowledge Transfer Account
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 04/2010 
End 04/2011
 
Description Proximity to Discovery Secondment Grant
Amount £57,000 (GBP)
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2015 
End 05/2016
 
Description UK UKDP: Integrated Dementia Research Environment
Amount £2,329,271 (GBP)
Funding ID MR/M009076/1 
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Department Medical Research Foundation
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2015 
End 09/2016
 
Description University of Manchester, The
Amount £117,000 (GBP)
Funding ID PoP fund 
Organisation University of Manchester 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 04/2012 
End 09/2013
 
Title Differentiation of iPSCs to neural progenitor cells 
Description Small peptides developed during this grant has been used to derive homogeneous populations of neural progenitor cells from iPSCs (human and mouse). 
Type Of Material Technology assay or reagent 
Year Produced 2014 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact NC3Rs Phase 1 grant award for the development of a Tau cell model 
 
Title Peptide development 
Description Small peptides have been developed during this grant that enable modification of gene transcript expression in embryonic stem cells 
Type Of Material Technology assay or reagent 
Year Produced 2012 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Several papers published by me and collaborators published 
 
Title Suspension culture of ES/iPS cells 
Description Small peptides developed during this grant that allows the culture of iPSCs and ES cells (human and mouse) in suspension culture. 
Type Of Material Technology assay or reagent 
Year Produced 2010 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Industry collaborations with Lonza. 
 
Title Microarray analysis of E-cadherin inhibition in cells 
Description Microarray analysis of E-cadherin inhibition in mouse and human ES cells and mammary epithelial tumour cells has been analysed 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2009 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Evidence that E-cadherin plays a major part in regulating signalling pathways, proliferation and apoptosis in ES and tumour cells 
 
Description Imagen-biotech 
Organisation Imagen Biotech
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Provision of iPS cells derived from Alzheimer's disease patients for use in drug screening applications.
Collaborator Contribution Development of an Alzheimer's disease drug screening platform
Impact Technology still in development
Start Year 2012
 
Title CELL CULTURE 
Description There is provided a method of retarding differentiation of a biological cell, the method comprising culturing the cell in the presence of an inhibitor of E-cadherin activity. The method is particularly advantageous in retarding the differentiation of stem or progenitor cells, and allows suspension culture of such cells in a manner that enables large scale expansion of cell populations. There is also provided a stem or progenitor cell comprising a construct encoding an inhibitor of E-cadherin activity; and a cell culture medium, for use in the retardation of biological cell differentiation, comprising an inhibitor of E-cadherin activity. 
IP Reference WO2007088372 
Protection Patent granted
Year Protection Granted 2007
Licensed Yes
Impact Further E-cadherin inhibiting peptides have been developed and patented.
 
Title CELL DIFFERENTIATION 
Description Provided is a method of producing neural precursor cells, in which an inhibitor of E-cadherin activity is provided to a population of the cells having neural potential, cell stress is induced among the population of cells; and the surviving cells are cultured until neural precursor cells are produced. Also provided is a method of adapting a cell in vitro for therapeutic use, in which an inhibitor of E-cadherin activity is provided to a population of cells having neural potential, cell stress is induced among the population of cells, and the surviving cells are cultured until neural precursor cells are produced. This method may optionally additionally involve culturing the neural precursor cells until neural cells are produced and formulating the neural precursor cells or neural cells in a composition suitable for administration to a patient. The invention also provides cells produced by these methods. The methods may be practiced on stem cells, particularly iPSCs. The cells and methods have utility in applications including stratified medicine. 
IP Reference WO2014072720 
Protection Patent application published
Year Protection Granted 2014
Licensed Yes
Impact Non-exclusive research licence awarded to Imagen-Biotech Ltd
 
Title Alzheimer's disease diagnostic 
Description Alzheimer's disease diagnostic 
Type Diagnostic Tool - Non-Imaging
Current Stage Of Development Refinement. Non-clinical
Year Development Stage Completed 2012
Development Status Actively seeking support
Impact None 
 
Company Name StrataStem Ltd 
Description Biotech Start-up 
Year Established 2012 
Impact Biotech Start-up
 
Description Abcam Stem Cell Conference 2009, Antigua. 19th to 22nd of November 2009. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Talk sparked questions and discussion

New collaborations identified
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2009
 
Description BBSRC Next Generation Conference - commercialisation of research. November 2008. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Discussion of commercialisation of research

Potential commercial collaborators identified
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2008
 
Description EPSRC Stem cell strategy development panel. Royal Society, London. Panel member. 16th March 2009 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Discussion of EPSRC stem cell strategy

Final recommendations presented
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2009
 
Description High throughput screening strategies for neuromuscular disease. TREAT-NMD. Netherlands. 27th Feb - 1st March 2009. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Discussion of development of tools that industry, clinicians and scientists need to bring novel therapeutic approaches through preclinical development and into the clinic, and on establishing best-practice care for neuromuscular patients worldwide.

Report produced
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2009
 
Description Invited lecture 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact MSCA Annual Scientific Meeting, 8th December 2015, Sheffield University, UK.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Invited lecture: Enabling Technologies for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research. Cambridge 28th November 2012. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Talk sparked questions and discussion afterwards

Industry collaborators identified
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012
 
Description Invited lecture: Keystone Symposia A8 2011 Epithelial Plasticity and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition, Jan 21 - Jan 26, 2011, Vancouver, British Columbia. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Talk sparked questions and discussion afterwards.

Academic and commercial collaborators identified
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
 
Description Invited lecture: Stem Cells in Drug Discovery conference, 2-3 June 2015, Cambridge University, UK 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Stem Cells in Drug Discovery conference, 2-3 June 2015, Cambridge University, UK
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Invited research talk. Uppsala University, Sweden. 13th May 2015. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Invited research talk. Uppsala University, Sweden. 13th May 2015.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Maths in Medicine Workshop. Keele University 10th-14th Sept 2012 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.)
Results and Impact Mathematical modelling of microarray data achieved.

Further collaborations identified
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012
 
Description TSB Stratified Medicine strategy on neurodegenerative diseases workshop. October 2013 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? Yes
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Discussion/workshop on TSB Stratified Medicine strategy on neurodegenerative diseases

Recommendations made
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description The role of BBSRC, TSB and MRC in funding commercial initiatives. BBSRC HQ. Panel member. August 2008 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Workshop discussing the roles of BBSRC, TSB and MRC in funding commercial initiatives.

Recommendations made
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2008