Abstract

Cambridge and Anglian Materials Society in collaboration with the Society of Biology East Anglia Branch presents Biomaterial Scaffolds.

Significant advances have been made in the field of biomedical materials over the past 20 years. With the move from tissue repair to cell-mediated tissue reconstruction and regeneration, there is an increasing need for appropriate support-materials (or scaffolds) to deliver these cells to sites of disease or injury. Biomaterial scaffolds support tissue regeneration by speeding up integration with body tissue and they have a key role in repair and regeneration at various sites within the human body. Of key interest is the use of materials that are found naturally in the body – including collagen and bone mineral.

Members of the Cambridge Centre for Medical Materials (directed by Professor Serena Best and Professor Ruth Cameron) work closely with the Departments of Biochemistry, Pathology, Chemistry, Engineering and Chemical Engineering in addition to various departments at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The aim of the Group is to develop bioactive materials that support skeletal implants, tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, bioceramics, and composites used in implantation. Members of the research team have combined to give short presentations on their specialist topics and provide a window into this significant field of development.

18.30 Arrival and introduction

18.35 – 18.50 Can Materials Science help us to understand the cold adaptation of skeletons? Dr. David Shepherd

18.50 – 19.05 Characterisation of collagen based scaffolds – Tools from biology. Dr. Jennifer Shepherd

19.05 – 19.20 From snowflake to scaffold: how to control the growth of ice to create designer collagen scaffold architecture. Dr. Anke Husmann

19.20 – 19.35 Characterising the interconnectivity of collagen scaffolds using Micro-CT. Jenny Ashworth

19.35 – 20.00 Break

20.00 – 20.15 Collagen scaffold cross-linking conditions for optimal cell adhesion. Dr. Daniel Bax

20.15 – 20.30 Engineering in vitro mammary gland models for cancer research. Dr. Jonathan Campbell

20.30 Closing remarks