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Prof. Anders Lindahl discusses his work in AutoCRAT in ATMP World Tour segment

University of Gothenburg PI Professor Anders Lindahl introduced and interviewed Bernard Siegel, JD for an ATMP World Tour 2024 segment. The piece aired on April 23rd, 2024.  As a recognized policy expert on stem cell research, regenerative medicine and cloning, Mr. Siegel works with leading stem cell researchers and advocates. After the presentation titled, “Baby Eve and Legal Advocacy” an interesting discussion ensued where Anders gave a top-level description of his work within AutoCRAT.

Watch the video here.

This year’s ATMP world tour program hosted 12 speakers over three days, live-streamed April 23-25, 2024. The programme was built to favour discussion over presentation and was recorded and available to view for 1 month following the event. See the full program here. Don’t miss it!

Prof. Anders Lindahl discusses his work in AutoCRAT in ATMP World Tour segment2024-05-01T09:25:05+00:00

AutoCRAT results avalanche at OARSI 2024

Our researchers will be in Vienna this week to showcase AutoCRAT findings and results.

University of Gothenburg‘s Dr Kristina Vukusic‘s poster (#450) titled “Efficacy of Intra-articular Injections of human induced Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Extracellular Vesicles, and hydrogel in Chondral Repair”, and Prof.  Victoria Rotter Sopasakis‘s poster #442, “Protocol for Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Chondrocytes Suitable for Regenerative Therapy of #Osteoarthritis.”

The University of Galway early-stage researcher Dale Creaven’s poster “In vitro assessment of the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cell- and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stromal cell apoptotic bodies” can be found at LB-050. In addition, Jason Hunt, also of the University of Galway, presented a poster titled “Generating Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells As An Alternative Cell Source For Cell Therapy”.

In addition to presentations, our team of Prof. Ingrid Meulenbelt and Dr Yolande F. M. Ramos at Leiden University Medical Center will also take part in the Regenerative Medicine in OA Discussion Group and have been invited to a lunch to celebrate Women in Stem Cell Research.

OARSI is the premier international organization for scientists and health care professionals focused on the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis through the promotion and presentation of research, education and the worldwide dissemination of new knowledge.

AutoCRAT results avalanche at OARSI 20242024-04-22T11:46:24+00:00

Dr Yolande Ramos and international colleagues publish review in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Congratulations to Leiden University Medical Center‘s Yolande F.M. Ramos and international colleagues Sarah J. Rice, Shabana Amanda Ali, Chiara Pastrello, Igor Jurisica, Muhammad Farooq Rai, Kelsey H. Collins, Annemarie Lang, Tristan Maerz, Jeroen Geurts, Cristina Ruiz-Romero, Ronald K. June, C. Thomas Appleton, Jason S. Rockel, Mohit Kapoor! Their review article titled: Evolution and advancements in genomics and epigenomics in OA research: How far we have come was published on February 28th, 2024 in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2024.02.656

 

Dr Yolande Ramos and international colleagues publish review in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage2024-03-27T13:24:20+00:00

Ferdinand Groten presents AutoCRAT platform at the IGLD 2024 conference in Leipzig

Ferdinand Biermann

Ferdinand Groten

Ferdinand Groten of Fraunhofer IPT will describe the AutoCRAT platform in a presentation at the IGLD conference in Leipzig, Germany, on March 7th, 2024. Ferdinand’s talk is titled, Automated Production at Scale of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, Chondrocytes and Extracellular Vehicles: Towards Real-Time Release, will occur in the GSEV-2: Methods, Rigor and Standardisation session chaired by Dr Tobias Tertel of UK Essen.

At the Interdisziplinäre Gruppe für Labor und Durchflusszytometrie (IGLD) Annual symposium, running March 7th- 9th, 2024, experts from fields such as laboratory medicine, transfusion medicine, haematology, oncology, and basic research share information on routine and related research advancements.

Ferdinand Groten presents AutoCRAT platform at the IGLD 2024 conference in Leipzig2024-03-06T10:04:17+00:00

Prof. Gentili presents AutoCRAT work at EORS 2023 meeting

Prof. Chiara Gentili, Università degli Studi di Genova

Professor Chiara Gentili of the Università degli Studi di Genova delivered a talk based on her AutoCRAT research titled: “Production of clinical grade extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of osteoarthritis” at the 31st Annual Meeting of the European Orthopaedic Research Society (EORS 2023).

3 B’s Research Group organized this meeting from September 27th – 29th, 2023 at Alfandega Congress Center in Porto, Portugal. Approximately 800 people attended Professor Gentiti’s oral presentation.

Prof. Gentili presents AutoCRAT work at EORS 2023 meeting2023-10-20T13:01:54+00:00

Panaxea’s Iris Boot presents AutoCRAT research at ISPOR Europe 2023

Panaxea‘s Iris Boot will present her AutoCRAT work at the November 12th- 15th ISPOR 2023 conference in Copenhagen. The title of Iris’s poster is “Cell-based treatment increases Quality of Life and reduces amount of Knee Replacement Surgeries compared to current standard of care for knee osteoarthritis patients.” Preview the poster here.

In AutoCRAT, Panaxea is focused on the economic evaluation of GMP manufacturing and at-line testing using the AutoCRAT system. ISPOR provides an opportunity for researchers to convene with global healthcare leaders who share their interests in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR).

Panaxea’s Iris Boot presents AutoCRAT research at ISPOR Europe 20232023-10-16T13:17:36+00:00

A warm AutoCRAT welcome to Helen Jinton at the University of Gothenburg!

Helen Jinton

Welcome to our newest AutoCRAT member, Helen Jinton who is based at the University of Gothenburg within Professor Anders Lindhal’s research group. Danielle Nicholson at Pintail Limited asked Helen some questions to become acquainted with her and her work.

Where did you grow up? Was there something or someone there that encouraged your interest in science?

I grew up in Mölndal, just outside Gothenburg. It almost counts as a part of Gothenburg, depending on who you ask. I did not really have anyone who specifically encouraged my interest in science. It’s just something I’ve always found interesting.

What and where did you study at university?

I’m a Biomedical scientist and did my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical laboratory science at the University of Gothenburg. I have also previously studied biology at the University level. I did my bachelor’s thesis at the Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg with Kristina Vukusic as my supervisor. Kristina is one of the researchers responsible for the AutoCRAT project here in Gothenburg.

Describe your work and the techniques/methods/technologies you plan to use in your work for AutoCRAT.

Before starting to work in Anders Lindahl’s group here at Gothenburg University, I worked at the Clinical Pathology lab at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. There I learned how to perform tissue preparation, paraffin embedding, tissue sectioning and so forth. During my bachelor thesis, I learned how to perform immunohistochemistry with three different antibodies, as well as fluorescence microscopy plus image processing.
My work for AutoCRAT revolves mainly around the sheep study that is currently ongoing. I will be doing most of the laboratory work with tissue preparation, sectioning and staining. I will also photograph the individual tissue sections and process the images in a program called Image J.

In your opinion, what is exciting about working on the project?

For me, it’s very inspirational and, of course, educational to be a part of such a large project. I’m still contemplating whether I’m going to pursue a master’s degree and eventually a Ph.D. To see how these kinds of projects work is interesting and, like I said before, inspirational.

What do you like most about living in Gothenburg?

Gothenburg is the perfect large city, which still has this kind of small-town vibe. I’ve lived here my entire life and I think it’s a great city, but I may be a little bit biased.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I spend a lot of my free time at the stable. I’ve been involved with equestrian sport for a long time, and have been competing a little in show jumping. I’m also a photographer, where I mainly do landscape and nature photography. The rest is spent with family and friends.
A warm AutoCRAT welcome to Helen Jinton at the University of Gothenburg!2023-09-22T12:50:25+00:00

Dr Kristina Vukusic presents AutoCRAT to the Department of Clinical Chemistry, UGOT

Automated Cellular Robot-Assisted Technologies for translation of discovery-led research in Osteoarthritis” was the title of the presentation delivered by Dr Kristina Vukusic on Friday, September 15th, 2023 at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital as part of a Molecular Medicine and Methodology Seminar Series. The audience consisted of 47 colleagues in the Department of Clinical Chemistry at the University of Gothenburg.

Kristina Vukusic PhD, is a researcher in Professor Anders Lindahl’s group at the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Gothenburg. She has expertise in regenerative medicine within cartilage and cardiovascular biology. Her current research involves the development of cell therapy for cartilage injuries.

Dr Kristina Vukusic presents AutoCRAT to the Department of Clinical Chemistry, UGOT2023-09-25T07:32:24+00:00

Prof. Meulenbelt, LUMC will present AutoCRAT data at knee OA public event in Leiden

On 23 September 2023 from 12:30 to 17:00, AutoCRAT PI Professor Ingrid Meulenbelt, LUMC will present her work within AutoCRAT as part of an osteoarthritis information afternoon organised by the orthopaedics department of the Alrijne Hospital outpatient clinic in Leiden, NL. This event aims to help people understand and cope with the challenges of knee osteoarthritis, as well as share the latest information and treatment options.

Orthopaedic surgeons Joris Jansen and Hugo Brouwers will give a presentation. Prof. Meulenbelt will present the latest cartilage studies and possible treatments in the near future, including her group’s stem cell therapy data. Around 200 patients are expected. Finally, Physiotherapist Maarten de Fockert (Physiotherapy Ommedijk) will explain the importance of continuing to move in a healthy way with images and practice. Together with lifestyle intervention expert Mariska Aanhane-Melissen, this promises to be an interactive session.

To view the programme and register to attend, click here.

 


Prof. Meulenbelt, LUMC will present AutoCRAT data at knee OA public event in Leiden2023-08-28T10:34:39+00:00

Professor Mary Murphy, AutoCRAT Coordinator, reflects on her career in regenerative medicine and academic research

The Coordinator of AutoCRAT, Professor Mary Murphy, spared some time to reply to a set of questions we posed to celebrate her career successes. Mary is a Professor of Regenerative Medicine and a Principal Investigator at the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at the University of  Galway in Ireland. Her research interests focus on the biology of stem cells and the development of innovative medicines and tissue engineering solutions for osteoarthritis and bone repair.

Can you give a tip or two to those aiming to become successful, leading academic researchers?

Prof. Mary Murphy

Professor Mary Murphy

To become a leading academic researcher, one has to really try and focus on research very early in their career. This is of course sometimes difficult as academics, particularly in Ireland, will have contracts that focus on teaching quite strongly as well as contributions to the university itself. However, if the particular person has had a successful postdoctoral career with some papers published, and in particular papers published in high-impact journals, they can become a very successful researcher. However, I can say for certain that it takes long hours certainly beyond what is usual for an academic. In terms of tips for achieving these aims:

          • start early
          • think of aiming to do a PhD in a very successful lab where 1) mentoring is available and 2) the possibility of moving on to a post-doctoral position in an associated laboratory, but in a slightly different area if possible and
          • a focus on positions to add to skills.

What are some of the ways your research changed from 1995 to 2023?

My first position in the area of cell therapy was as a doctoral researcher in the first stem cell company worldwide based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. This was a very exciting time in the field and certainly jumpstarted my career as a researcher and ultimately as an academic focusing on the area of Stem Cells Research. There is no doubt that there have been many changes since I first entered the lab, where all work was performed manually. As such, progress was slow. Looking back it is clear that the field has moved on in a way that I never anticipated but working in the area Galway enabled the continuation of a career in the area and maintaining a strong research presence in the area of cell therapy.

In terms of ways that the research has changed, in one sense it has changed very little because the basic techniques are the same. However, in another sense, it has changed radically, particularly with the introduction of automation and newer and more complex equipment enabling the achievement of the same ends more rapidly. For example, automation for manufacturing ATMPs such as stem cells or gene-modified stem cells, as well as their secretome/extracellular vesicles has allowed us to continue to generate novel research findings in the field. This effort was enabled by two sequential European Union (EU)-funded projects, Autostem (Grant agreement ID: 667932) initially followed by AutoCRAT which is still in progress.

What is the biggest challenge you face within research today?

Continuing to obtain sufficient funding for research activities is one of the biggest challenges that researchers face. Funders such as the European Union continuously assess areas that they fund and themes change.  For example, funding for research in stem cell and gene therapies has reduced somewhat and researchers need to adapt rapidly to address the funding calls that become available. Another challenge in Ireland currently is that researchers trained in the area of stem cell or gene therapies are very employable with graduates employed by companies established in Ireland or further afield.

Which of your career achievements make you feel most satisfied?

In reality, these are also associated with research and training of researchers. The latter is probably the point that I am most proud of, but this is closely linked with the capacity to actually maintain the funding to train the researchers. As such, both could be put on an equal footing.  Additionally, I am also proud of the publications that we have achieved in the area and the fact that these are relevant, which is highlighted by the level of citations that have been achieved.

In your opinion, what is most exciting about osteoarthritis and MSC research today? What has enabled this progress? What is necessary to progress this further?

In our area, I think the most exciting advance in cell therapy is the use of induced pluripotent stem cells and their derived secretome–extracellular vesicles (EV).  If successful in the treatment of OA will certainly have a quicker translation through to actual patient use. Again, this is something we are looking at on AutoCRAT – making some progress but will be necessary to continue to look for more funding.

How is AutoCRAT important to the REMEDI/Curam at the University of Galway?

In terms of relevance to the University of Galway, AutoCRAT has enabled the training of early researchers and increased publications maintaining the profile of both REMEDI (Regenerative Medicine Institute) and Curam (https://www.universityofgalway.ie/curam/).

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love to garden and live in an area of considerable beauty (Connemara), hiking and walking when time is available. I also maintain an interest in sports, especially camogie and hurling.

Professor Mary Murphy, AutoCRAT Coordinator, reflects on her career in regenerative medicine and academic research2023-08-14T16:11:48+00:00

Meet Dr Matilde Balbi, working with Professor Chiara Gentili at UNIGE

Dr Matilde Balbi

We welcome our newest team member, Dr Matilde Balbi, based at the University of Genoa in Professor Chiara Gentili’s research group. Danielle Nicholson at Pintail Limited asked Matilde questions to become acquainted with her and her work.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and grew up in Genoa.

What and where did you study at university?

I am a pharmacist. I studied at the University of Genoa. As soon as I completed my internship for the experimental thesis, I realized that I would prefer to work behind a bench in a laboratory than in a pharmacy, despite the motivating work experience in a pharmacy when I was a Master’s student.

What was the nature of your PhD project? Where did you do this research?

I did a PhD in Experimental Medicine in the Pharmacology and Toxicology curriculum at the University of Genoa with a thesis entitled: “Group I metabotropic glutamatergic receptors regulating glutamate release and microglia phenotype in a murine model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”. During my PhD, I spent some time at the University of Lausanne for a pilot research project on the role of astrocytes-derived extracellular vesicles in microglial activation. In the meantime, I have had the chance to collaborate with Prof. Uccelli’s research group to study the neuroprotective effect of extracellular vesicles secreted from mesenchymal stem cells on astrocytes in an in vitro model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

What is your role in AutoCRAT? Describe your work and the techniques/methods/technologies you plan to use.

Since the beginning of the postdoc in AutoCRAT in June, I started a new cell expansion of iMSC SD1, 2 and 3 to recover extracellular vesicles at early (P8) and late phase (P16) to analyse miRNA content. Extracellular vesicles are validated with FACS testing positive (CD90-CD105-CD44) and negative (CD31-CD34-CD45) markers. I extract extracellular vesicles from iMSC SD1 P11-12 to test their therapeutic potential on organ culture in collaboration with LUMC.

In your opinion, what is exciting about working on the AutoCRAT project?

It is exciting for a young researcher to be able to work on a European project and challenge myself with a topic far from my neuropharmacology background. The project involves many collaborations with different research groups that use different techniques and methods to try to give answers to the heterogeneity that characterizes a pathology such as osteoarthritis. The constant comparison between research groups is of great value.

What do you like most about living in (or near) Genoa?

Living in Genoa offers the possibility of having a territory that varies from the mountains to the sea. This allows you to range with the activities to do in your free time and to see contrasting landscapes in a few kilometres.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I love sports: I gladly jog along the sea, hike and ski but  I also go to the swimming pool or gym, especially in autumn and winter.

Meet Dr Matilde Balbi, working with Professor Chiara Gentili at UNIGE2023-08-08T14:44:25+00:00

AutoCRAT research presented at TERMIS 2023, Manchester, UK

University of Galway and University of Genoa researchers took to the international stage at TERMIS 2023 to present their recent findings. The 4-day meeting took place in Manchester, UK from March 28th- 31st.

PhD candidate Jason Hunt (U of Galway) gave a talk on the 28th titled: Upscaling Production of hiMSC in a Bioreactor format. Also, on the 28th, Prof. Chiara Gentili facilitated a talk titled: Paracrine functionalities of hiMSCs cultured in clinical grade system: in vitro biological validation of hiMSC-derived EVs for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

PhD student Dale Creaven (U of Galway) presented a poster on March 30th. Its title was: Assessment of the therapeutic potential of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. The poster was 1 of 23 selected posters for the Student and Young Investigator poster presentation award out of a total 470 posters.

Find the TERMIS 2023 programme of talks here. The TERMIS EU conference is the leading event for the dissemination of the latest research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, offering researchers, clinicians and industry an ideal opportunity to present and discuss their most recent findings, developments and challenges in the field.

Jason Hunt at TERMIS 2023 in Manchester, UK

AutoCRAT research presented at TERMIS 2023, Manchester, UK2023-04-03T08:50:37+00:00

‘Automating autologous and allogeneic cell therapies’ at the Advanced Therapy Congress

Laura Herbst of Fraunhofer IPT delivered a talk at the Advanced Therapy Congress describing their role and work within the AutoCRAT and AutoSTEM projects.  Laura’s talk was titled “Automating autologous and allogeneic cell therapies.” The meeting was held on March 14th and 15th, 2023 in London, UK.

The Advanced Therapies Congress is Europe’s largest cell and gene therapy conference and exhibition, welcoming 2,000 attendees, 100 exhibitors, 200 innovative young start-ups and 300 speakers from across the entire value chain of cell and gene therapy development; including forward-thinking pharma companies, researchers, clinicians, academics, HTAs, payers and regulators.

 

‘Automating autologous and allogeneic cell therapies’ at the Advanced Therapy Congress2023-03-28T09:34:59+00:00

Prof. Barry, U of Galway delivers an array of talks covering cell therapies for OA

AutoCRAT PI Professor Frank Barry at the University of Galway has been busy sharing details of cell therapy for OA research and results.

In the Arthritis Ireland Inflammation Nation podcast episode titled “New Horizons for Osteoarthritis Patients,” Prof. Barry discusses his research and the human trial resulting from the ADIPOA-2 project, a precursor to AutoCRAT. Read the transcript of the podcast here. The podcast aired on January 25th, 2023.

 

On September 22nd, 2022, Professor Barry presented and participated in a high-profile online meeting, NIAMS Roundtable on Cartilage Research and Restoration in Knee Osteoarthritis. Frank’s talk was titled “MSC Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Status” and can be viewed here (3:41:27).

At the Midwest Conference on Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine online meeting, Prof. Barry delivered a talk “MSC Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Status.” AutoCRAT was acknowledged and described. The meeting was organised by the Kansas University Area Health Education Center (KU AHEC). You can watch the video here, (5:27:14).

 

 

Prof. Barry, U of Galway delivers an array of talks covering cell therapies for OA2023-02-10T11:37:15+00:00

Great news for the cell and gene therapy field from Leiden, NL!

NecstGen, a cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing facility, received a manufacturer’s license in early December (2022) for the GMP production of advanced cell and gene therapies (ATMPs). GMP is a quality assurance system that describes the minimum standard that a drug manufacturer must meet in the production process. “This is a highlight, a stamp of approval, on the work of our dedicated team,” says Paul Bilars, CEO of NecstGen.

Source: https://www.lumc.nl/over-het-lumc/actueel/2022/december/necstgen-ontvangt-vergunning-voor-gmp-productie-van-atmps/

Read our previous story about NecstGen here.

Great news for the cell and gene therapy field from Leiden, NL!2022-12-09T09:42:42+00:00

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences acquires Valitacell

Congratulations to our partners at Valitacell!

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a global leader in laboratory automation and innovation, announces it has acquired ValitaCell Ltd. (“ValitaCell”), the biotechnology company that creates pioneering analytical products and technologies for the biopharmaceutical industry.

The announcement was made today, September 13th, 2022.

“ValitaCell has a proven record for delivering innovative products and we are excited to build upon our successful partnership with Beckman Coulter Life Sciences,” said Dr Jerry Clifford, Co-Founder and CEO of ValitaCell. “We never take for granted what our advancements can do for patients while also reducing manual workflow burdens on laboratory staff. Together with Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, we will advance our shared ambition to accelerate and enable the sustainable manufacture of innovative biological medicines to bring them to market faster.”

Read the official press release here.

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences acquires Valitacell2022-09-13T14:09:17+00:00

Welcome Dr Tanja Kutzner, postdoc at the Universitaetsklinikum Essen

Dr Tanja Kutzner

Introducing Dr Tanja Kutzner, a postdoc in the lab of Prof. Dr Bernd Giebel at the University Medicine Essen. Tanja joined the AutoCRAT project recently and attended the June plenary meeting hosted by the University of Gothenburg. Tanja kindly provided a short bio below. Welcome aboard!

Since May 2022 I have been working in my second postdoc position as part of Bernd Giebel´s lab at the University Hospital of Essen and I am also a team member of AutoCRAT. Having the opportunity to work with an international team of experts, and investigate the therapeutic potential of specific cell types and their EVs to develop new therapeutic options to treat patients makes the AutoCRAT project especially interesting for me. Within the AutoCRAT team, I am concentrating on the development and optimization of downstream processes for EVs.

I am born in Bielefeld a city in the west of Germany. I studied molecular biotechnology at the University of Bielefeld, where I also completed my diploma and my PhD thesis. My diploma thesis was focused on establishing and optimizing purification protocols for a novel human serpin followed by its characterization. In my PhD thesis, I concentrated on the isolation, characterization and phylogenetic comparison of serpins.

For my first postdoctoral position, I moved to Munich and worked at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University. During this time, I was dealing with the implementation, optimization and standardization of upstream- and downstream processing procedures mainly for recombinant proteins produced in different organisms.

I like to spend my free time in nature and with my family and friends. I also love to go biking or swimming and read a good crime novel. Some of my favorite authors are Simon Beckett, Alex Kava, Nele Neuhaus and Sebastian Fitzek.

Welcome Dr Tanja Kutzner, postdoc at the Universitaetsklinikum Essen2022-07-13T09:51:07+00:00

Please meet Prof. Dr Anders Lindahl, University of Gothenburg

In cell culture, Dr Kristina Vukusic and Prof Dr Anders Lindahl, U of Gothenburg.

Prof. Dr Anders Lindahl, PI at the University of Gothenburg (UGOT) kindly answered a set of questions posed by Danielle Nicholson, Pintail Limited in advance of our upcoming meeting in Sweden. Special thanks to Dr Kristina Vukusic, UGOT who helped facilitate this.

How and when did you first become interested in cell biology?

My interest in cell biology started early in my MD studies. Subsequently, I became interested in longitudinal growth and the growth plate during my PhD studies and my experimental work was focused on chondrocyte cell cultures. I was inspired by the clinical use of cell therapy during my postdoc stay at Harvard in the mid-1980s at the Department of the late Professor Howard Green who developed skin cell culture for burn treatment.

 

What is it about chemistry that interests you most these days?

Since I have clinical training in Clinical Chemistry my interest is mainly in the early diagnostics of diseases and with a special interest in the identification of predictive biomarkers for osteoarthritis.

 

What do you see as the biggest challenge to the cell therapy and cartilage repair field right now?

The biggest challenge is to implement the new technology in clinical settings and to do well-performed clinical studies to get these new cell-based therapies registered on the market in the future. The regulatory environment for small companies and academic researchers as well as the reimbursement systems for cell therapies is however challenging.

 

Please describe your group and facilities.

The group now consists of 6 researchers and 2 PhD students. We collaborate The research facility is in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and we have excellent facilities for molecular and cellular research in the Clinical Chemistry laboratory where the group is situated.

 

Your work seems incredibly varied: supervising PhD students, grant writing and admin, lab work, and travel. Which aspects do you enjoy most?

I enjoy most the scientific discussions and testing new ideas and hypotheses. It is always energizing to see the curiosity in young students’ eyes and get all these questions. They get you to feel older but wise too sometimes.

 

For how long have you been in Gothenburg at the university?

I have been a professor since the year 2000 and I have been working as a laboratory director for 10 years. The research facilities are excellent and the collaboration with colleagues at the Sahlgrenska Academy is both easy and rewarding. During the years the network of collaborations has grown big. The tight work of clinicians with researchers and implementation of cross-scientific new technologies such as 3D printing opens up for future personalized medicine.

 

Talk us through your group’s role in AutoCRAT, please.

Our role in the project is to establish a protocol for the derivation of chondrocyte progenitors from induced pluripotent stem cells, to produce cells and secreted vesicles for future regenerative treatment for patients with cartilage defects. Furthermore, we provide adult chondrocytes for comparison and their extracellular vesicles. Since we have over 30 years of experience in Autologous Chondrocyte transplantation we can help with GMP knowledge for cell therapy production. We will also conduct large animal studies here in Gothenburg in the last year of the project, testing the efficacy of our derived cells and their secreted vesicles.

 

What do you find most exciting about the AutoCRAT project?

The project is an international collaborative project between several institutions in Europe and the International work collaboration is very interesting and adds new technologies to the cell biology field. Among other things a robotic production system with advanced monitoring of cell cultures. We are very curious about the outcome of the final product and the therapeutic potential of secreted vesicles from different cell types.

 

Had you worked with Professor Mary Murphy or any of the partners before AutoCRAT?

I have known the group of Mary Murphy and other researchers in AutoCRAT for several years, but we have not had the chance to project collaborations together before. Mary is a great leader and the UGOT team is appreciating the open and familiar atmosphere in the AutoCRAT. We are happy to host the meeting and to welcome all dear collogues to our beautiful Gothenburg.

 

What do you like to do in your free time?

Walking in nature year-round, even in the sometimes tough Swedish weather. Skiing in the winter, mostly in Norway, and boating here on the Swedish West Coast in the summer. I live by the seaside and can´t think of living elsewhere.  I love dogs and have had dogs for over 50 years although not now but I am taking care of my daughter’s dog when needed.

Please meet Prof. Dr Anders Lindahl, University of Gothenburg2022-05-31T10:48:09+00:00
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