Key points:
- A new research collaboration is applying fundamental expertise in cellular biology with commercial technology to explore how the process of cellular reprogramming can be enhanced to better fulfil the technology’s potential in regenerative medicine, drug discovery and personalised medicine.
- The collaboration will combine new knowledge and tools developed in the Christophorou lab in collaboration with Dr Louise Walport at the Francis Crick Institute with the expertise and state-of-the-art cell reprogramming platform established by Axol Bioscience.
- Working on patient samples, the project will explore new factors and stimulations that may be used to create a more robust and efficient reprogramming method, potentially with reduced reliance on Yamanaka factors.
A new academic-commercial collaboration between the Christophorou lab and Babraham Research Campus-based company Axol Bioscience is aiming to improve the efficiency and speed of cellular reprogramming. By uniting expertise in fundamental biology and patented technology from the Christophorou lab at the Babraham Institute and the Walport lab at the Francis Crick Institute with Axol Bioscience’s state-of-the-art-cell reprogramming platform this project has the potential to improve and scale up the production of cells and tissues in drug discovery and healthcare medicine.
Cellular reprogramming, where cells are returned to an undifferentiated stem cell state before being directed to become desired cell types, offers huge potential in regenerative medicine where diseased or damaged tissues are repaired or replaced. However, the cell reprogramming process is slow and expensive, and can raise concerns about genetic stability and safety.
Dr Maria Christophorou, Group Leader in the Institute’s Epigenetics research programme, said: “Through this research partnership we hope to utilise our new understanding of epigenetic and signalling factors that influence cell fate to alleviate some of the current constraints which limit the translational potential of induced pluripotent stem cells. Our discovery research points to the potential of achieving better cell reprogramming and we’re delighted to work with the team at Axol Bioscience to explore this further. It is also our aim to gain new mechanistic insights into the reprogramming process and the factors that influence cell fate transitions more broadly.”
Credit: Babraham Institute