It’s not just work, work, work in the Pirog lab. We had a lovely BBQ yesterday to celebrate our Masters students delivering great project presentations 🙂
The sun is out!
Category Archives: Musculoskeletal news
The lab at the MBE 2026 meeting in Oulu
We had a great time at the Matrix Biology Europe (MBE, formerly known as the Federation of European Connective Tissue Societies or FECTS) meeting in Oulu in Finland this week.
ÇaÄźla’s abstract was selected for an oral presentation
and Maria and Roufaida presented great posters which led to several interesting discussions.
The scientific program was great and covered many aspects of matrix biology, fibrosis, regenerative medicine, inflammation and tissue engineering.
We also had some time to explore Oulu, and meet its famous policeman! 🙂
We printed out first line today!
We were test printing into 24 well plates today, and making slight tweaks to optimise the extrusion pressure, printing speed, the supporting bath parameters and the thickness of the printed lines.
The panels on the left show how much we improved over the course of one day. Support bath is dyed red, the ink is in blue.
Top row – first attempt, fresh after print (left panel) and the lines 10 minutes after the print (right panel) showing considerable swelling.
Bottom row – printing a nice line after optimization. Left panel image taken straight after the print, right panel image taken after 10 minutes.
Not bad for a first print!
We will now work on optimising the hydrogels further before printing with living cells next month. Watch this space!
Great NC3Rs NAMs network meeting in London
On Monday the 22nd of June we participated in the NAMs (New Approach Methodologies) Network meeting organised by the NC3Rs. Kasia presented an update on our BBSCR/NC3Rs Business Interaction Voucher project and participated in a debate panel discussing hurdles that NAMs face when it comes to uptake and commercialisation of their innovations. It was a really interesting meeting and a great network to discuss our ideas and seek new collaborations!
OA modelling and epigenetics – two webinars by the SRG scientists this month
The next two talks on the Explore Lifelong Learning webinar programme will be:
- 09/06 David Young “Epigenetics: One way in which genetic changes cause disease”
- 16/06 Kasia Pirog “Deciphering the molecular mechanisms of osteoarthritis”
Join us online at 10:30 if you would like to find out more!
Science talks for all
We have coordinated an exciting series of talks in June 2026 as part of the Explore Lifelong Learning Season 3 programme.
All talks will be delivered online in lay language and accessible format.
Come see us every Tuesday in June at 10:30am on Zoom!
The talks are:
- 02 Jun Prof Jordi Diaz Manera Application of AI to the Diagnosis and Follow-up of People Living with Neuromuscular Diseases
- 09 Jun Prof David Young Epigenetics: One Way in which Genetic Changes Cause Disease
- 16 Jun Dr Kasia Pirog Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms of Osteoarthritis
- 23 Jun Dr Priscila Melo Exploring the Link between Irritable Bowel Disease and Joint Disease Using Advanced 3D In Vitro Modelling
- 30 Jun Dr Annette Pantall Turning a Genetic “Flaw” into a Life-Saving Edge
The new bioprinter is here!
Great day in the Pirog lab, our bioprinter arrived today!
Part of the NC3Rs/BBSRC Business Interaction Voucher Award, the printer will help us create a novel zonally stratified model of cartilage, in partnership with Copner Biotech.
Watch this space for updates!
Çağla representing the lab at Termis EU
Çağla was representing the lab at Termis EU in Palma Mallorca this week, chairing a session on “Advances in Ocular Tissue Engineering” and presenting a poster of her work.
Well done Çağla!
The conference programme looks great, we are looking forward to the de-brief on your return.
The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call is now open!
With a budget of €399.05 million, the European Commission will support nearly 1,600 researchers to acquire new skills, develop their careers, and gain international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral experience by working in another country.
There are two types of fellowships:
European Fellowships – open to researchers of any nationality to carry out a personalised project in the EU or countries associated to Horizon Europe for up to 24 months
Global Fellowships – open to EU and Horizon Europe associated countries nationals or long-term residents wishing to work with organisations in third countries for a period of 12 to 24 months, before returning to Europe for 12 months
Deadline for applications is 9 September 2026, 17:00 CEST.
Read more: link.europa.eu/t6jYb3
Postdoctoral Fellowships offer researchers holding a PhD the opportunity to acquire new skills through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility.
If cartilage is your jam, come to the North of England and work with us, we are happy to host you!
Biofabrication seminar 23rd of April 1pm
Our bioprinter is being installed on Thursday!
As part of the installation visit, Copner Biotech will deliver a seminar explaining their technology and potential applications. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The Biofabrication Seminar will be held next Thursday, 23rd April, 1-2 pm, in the Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, West Wing, Centre for Life.
Established in 2020, Copner Biotech is a bioprinting biotechnology company with its focus on 3D cell culture and associated technologies. In April 2026, they will be installing their pioneering 4D Grape bioprinting system at the Centre for Life. The printer will be on loan to Newcastle University for one year as part of the NC3Rs/BBSRC Business Interaction Voucher award, awarded to Dr Katarzyna Pirog in collaboration with Dr Ana Ferreria-Duarte, Dr James Henstock (Northumbria University) and Copner Biotech. Combining expertise in biosciences, engineering, and advanced materials the team will use Copner Biotech advanced technology to generate cartilage-like structures for investigating the biological mechanisms involved in cartilage development, ageing and disease. NC3Rs/BBSRC Business Interaction Voucher is an initiative to foster academic-industry partnerships enhancing the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine). This seminar outlines the advantages and technological leaps that the 4D Grape system offers for bioprinting of living tissue models. During its residency at CfL the printer will be made available to other research groups to use provided they purchase project related consumables.