“Business Interaction Vouchers support strategic R&D partnerships between businesses and academic researchers, helping to catalyse the development of tools, technologies, and methodologies that reduce reliance of the use of animals in research, whilst also advancing capabilities that could one day be more powerful than current animal models. This new strategic portfolio of projects supported across the NC3Rs networks, through joint investment with BBSRC, covers a broad and exciting range of new 3Rs innovations which will drive innovation across the sector.” 

– Dr Lee Beniston FRSB, Associate Director for Industry Partnerships and Collaborative Research and Development, BBSRC

Our exciting project in collaboration with Copner Biotech and with researchers from across Newcastle and Northumbria Universities combines expertise in biosciences, engineering, and advanced materials. The team will use advanced bioprinting technologies to generate cartilage-like structures for investigating the biological mechanisms involved in cartilage development, ageing and disease. Using Copner Biotech’s next generation 3D modelling software and bioprinting platform, the team will combine a variety of bioinks to produce constructs with defined microarchitectures. The developed in vitro models will be compared against existing data from human samples and animal studies to assess the physiological relevance and suitability for safety testing of senolytic (i.e. those that selectively induce the death of senescent cells) drugs used to treat osteoarthritis.

For more information on our project and on other projects in the cohort, please visit: https://nc3rs.org.uk/news/bridging-gap-new-funding-academic-industry-partnerships-between-nc3rs-network-members