£10.7M funding for new Centre for Tissue Regeneration and Repair

A £25.7 million funding boost will advance biological research and aid the quest for new therapies to treat damaged tissues. The investment by the UK Government will enable the University of Edinburgh to establish a new Centre for Tissue Repair (£10.7M) and create laboratory space for 350 biologists (£14.9M).

The Centre for Tissue Repair bid was led by MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) Director Prof Charles ffrench-Constant and Associate Director Prof Stuart Forbes. The new centre will discover and deliver new therapies to repair tissue damage caused by disease and injury. It will also develop advanced imaging and sensor technologies that will enable scientists to view and measure tissue regeneration in real-time.

Prof Charles ffrench-Constant said:

“I am delighted to hear the University of Edinburgh has been so successful. The two bids complement each other extremely well and I am confident it will create many cross-over opportunities for scientists and clinicians working on tissue repair, regenerative medicine, epigenetics and synthetic biology.”

Prof Stuart Forbes added:

The Centre for Tissue Repair builds upon world-leading research in stem cells and regenerative medicine, inflammation, and scarring to develop new therapies for currently incurable diseases.”

This new funding and the recent investment by the Medical Research Council to build a new ‘stem cell niche’ facility helps the University realise its ambition to build a Centre for Tissue Repair. This will further enhance the unique research environment at the Little France campus. It is a truly exciting time for researchers and clinicians here in Edinburgh.

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The secured funding is part of a £100 million UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF). The Government announced earlier today it will fund a total of seven new leading edge research projects in the UK.