FEATURE: UoS shortlisted for international award

by Aug 13, 2018Industrial Biotechnology

Prestigious award

University of Suffolk (UoS) Biotechnology research unit have been shortlisted for a prestigious prize, the Cultivating Excellence award 2018, by RegMedNet. This is significant as this is an international award decided by a panel of judges to celebrate excellence in regenerative medicine research. The submission by UoS was led by Dr. Federica Masieri and supported by Dr. Aida Rajic, both senior academics at the Biotechnology research unit.

Among the finalists were: BellaSeno GmbH from Germany, Roger Barker Lab, University of Cambridge- UK, Staal Lab Leiden University Medical Center- Netherlands, Yin Laboratory, MDI  Biological laboratory- USA, and of course the Biotechnology Unit, UoS- UK.
UoS were nominated as finalists because of their excellent teaching and research platform in regenerative medicine. This is a great achievement considering the rural location of the Biotechnology unit in Suffolk. This nomination further proves that UoS can attract exceptional researchers in the school of science and technology.

The central role of students in their work was also praised, with their excellent teaching and learning environments where the staff are continually developing and refining their expert knowledge and skill sets.

Left: Dr. Federica Masieri ,Senior Lecturer  & Course Leader MSc Regenerative Medicine. Middle: Dr. Aida Rajic, Course Leader BSc (Hons) Bioscience Lecturer in BSc (Hons) Bioscience and MSc Regenerative Medicine. Image source: UoS website.

The Biotechnology Unit, within the School of Science Technology and Engineering at the University of Suffolk was created in 2011, and is now situated within the James Hehir building on the Ipswich waterfront campus. The research unit has helped harness the talents and dreams of budding researchers both from the region, nationally, and internationally through research-led teaching and projects. The unit participates in the delivery of the MSc Regenerative Medicine masters course, and the undergraduate BSc (Hons) Bioscience courses. It is hoped that the unit will mark Suffolk on the map as a world leader of excellence in advanced science. What sets the unit apart from other research institutes, is that it nurtures the talent of individuals regardless of their social and economic background.
UoS must attract votes from the public to win the Cultivating Excellence award, to support your local biotech research community please click the link below and vote before the 31st August!
VOTE FOR UOS

What would it mean to win?

“Winning would mean to bring our lab and our University at the centre stage of the regenerative medicine landscape nationally and internationally, with the possibility not only to attract more connections and investments, but also to inspire young generations to pursue a career in this area”.

“As a group, we are already extremely proud of making it so far, together with the other eminent candidates. This is also a humbling experience: opportunities like this do not happen every day and we therefore have a responsibility before our students and between one another as colleagues to continue our hard work in an area of research and education that aims to bring solutions for unmet clinical needs”.

Dr. Masieri

Senior Lecturer, Course Leader MSc Regenerative Medicine, Department of Science and Technology, UoS

The Cultivating Excellence award is promoted by RegMedNet. RegMedNet is a prestigious community site representing the exciting and diverse regenerative medicine community in partnership with the high impact factor journal Regenerative Medicine. The RegMedNet award for Cultivating Excellence in 2017 was won last year by Cells for Sight, led by Professor Julie T Daniels, University College London. Winning the award shone a spotlight on the great work carried out by the researchers within the lab. The team at UoS have been assessed on the following areas: nurturing academic development, educating and nurturing students, research activity, collaborator network, and outreach activity, all within a regenerative medicine mandate.

KEY RESEARCH THEMES

Key areas the unit at Suffolk investigates are stem cell research topics, to investigate musculoskeletal repair, neural development and regeneration. In addition to this, more recently the unit has begun to look at cardiovascular biology and the role of the extracellular matrix.

Since its inception in 2011, the Biotechnology Unit, of the School of Science, technology and Engineering at the University of Suffolk has represented a unique place of growth for the life science community of academics and students of the University of Suffolk and beyond.  The young and energetic team of academics, drawn from all across the globe works relentlessly to provide their undergraduate and postgraduate students with the best teaching and learning experience, moulding them into employment-ready professionals, with highly developed practical research skills and critical thinking. Two of the most reputable courses on offer are the BSc (Hons) Bioscience, accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, led by Dr Aida Rajic, and the MSc regenerative Medicine, led by Dr Federica Masieri. 

 

MUSCULOSKELETAL REPAIR

CARDIOVASCULAR BIOLOGY

NEURAL DEVELOPMENT & REGENERATION

A cornerstone research area of the Biotechnology Unit is the one of Regenerative Medicine, developed around three main niches:

  1. Stem cell characterisation and use as tools for musculoskeletal regeneration
  2. Neural developmental biology and regeneration
  3. Cardiovascular biology and the role of the Extracellular Matrix.

 

The team believe that this award will help shine the spotlight on Ipswich as a centre for advanced science, and help make their visionary dream a reality. This will not only support Ipswich, but will impact Suffolk and the UK as a whole.

 

To read more about biomanufacturing opportunities in the region read the GoBio opportunity report here