University of Galway

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 2024admin2024-04-22T11:46:24+00:00

Prof. Barry delivers Don Panoz Distinguished lecture in Dublin

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Trinity College Dublin and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) proudly hosted the Inaugural Don Panoz Distinguished Lecture featuring Professor Frank Barry, from the University of Galway entitled, “Hearts and Knees: Cellular Therapies in Cardiac and Musculoskeletal Applications‘, took place on Tuesday 24th October 2023.

Professor Barry presents AutoCRAT at Biotherapies Days conference in Toulouse

Professor of Cellular Therapy at the University of Galway, Frank Barry presented two keynote lectures at the Biotherapies Days conference in Toulouse, France on November 23 and 24, 2023. The first of these, entitled MSC Therapy: Present Challenges and Future Opportunities addressed topics of cell manufacturing automation closely aligned to the AutoCRAT theme. The second keynote, entitled MSCs as Mediators of Tissue Repair: Understanding The Mechanism of Action addressed aspects of basic science and therapeutic mechanisms.

Find the 2-day conference programme here.

Professor Barry presents AutoCRAT at Biotherapies Days conference in Toulouseadmin2023-12-04T15:53:30+00:00

AutoCRAT meets in Galway, Ireland!

The AutoCRAT project team assembled at the University of Galway on 9 and 10 November for our latest meeting.

The autumnal weather could not dampen our enthusiasm as we reviewed the results starting to emanate from our final preclinical studies. Now we are entering the final phase of the project, our focus is on the completion of our in vitro and in vivo work, dissemination of our results and future exploitation plans. We also look forward to seeing the AutoCRAT automated platform and novel quality control assays in operation in the months ahead.

We benefited greatly from the presence (online) of Advisory Board member Professor Tim Hardingham and extend our sincere thanks to him for his time and expertise.

We enjoyed a successful and productive meeting and Galway’s legendary welcome! Many thanks to the team at the University of Galway for hosting.

AutoCRAT meets in Galway, Ireland!admin2023-11-10T16:08:30+00:00

Joint AutoCRAT paper in Processes from Fraunhofer IPT and U of Galway

Congratulations to AutoCRAT researchers at Fraunhofer IPT and the University of Galway for their recent publications in the journal Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). It will be part of a special issue, “Application of Deep Learning in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing”

The article is titled: Automated Production at Scale of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, Chondrocytes and Extracellular Vehicles: Towards Real-Time Release. Author/researchers Laura Herbst, Ferdinand Groten, Mary Murphy, Georgina Shaw, Bastian Nießing, and Robert H. Schmitt published the paper on October 10th, 2023. Download the PDF here.

Citation:

Herbst L, Groten F, Murphy M, Shaw G, Nießing B, Schmitt RH. Automated Production at Scale of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, Chondrocytes and Extracellular Vehicles: Towards Real-Time Release. Processes. 2023; 11(10):2938. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11102938

Abstract:

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) are amenable for use in a clinical setting for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), which remains one of the major illnesses worldwide. Aside from iPSC-derived iMSCs, chondrocytes (iCHO) and extracellular vesicles (EV) are also promising candidates for the treatment of OA. Manufacturing and quality control of iPSC-derived therapies is mainly manual and thus highly time-consuming and susceptible to human error. A major challenge in translating iPSC-based treatments more widely is the lack of sufficiently scaled production technologies from seeding to fill-and-finish. Formerly, the Autostem platform was developed for the expansion of tissue-derived MSCs at scale in stirred tank bioreactors and subsequent fill-and-finish. Additionally, the StemCellDiscovery platform was developed to handle plate-based cultivation of adherent cells including their microscopic analysis. By combining the existing automation technology of both platforms, all required procedures can be integrated into the AutoCRAT system, designed to handle iPSC expansion, differentiation to iMSCs and iCHOs, pilot scale expansion, and formulation of iMSCs as well as extracellular vesicles and their purification. Furthermore, the platform is equipped with several in-line and at-line assays to determine product quality, purity, and safety. This paper highlights the need for adaptable and modular automation concepts. It also stresses the importance of ensuring the safety of generated therapies by incorporating automated release testing and cleaning solutions in automated systems. The adapted platform concepts presented here will help translate these technologies for clinical production at the necessary scale.

Joint AutoCRAT paper in Processes from Fraunhofer IPT and U of Galwayadmin2023-10-19T08:55:39+00:00

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