The University of York (website) is the co-ordinating partner for the Osteocord project. The University is involved in the project in three areas: the science, the ethics and the sociological aspects. leading workpackages 2, 6 and 7. For more information regarding these specific workpackages, see "the project".

 

The Science and Administration

Biomedical Tissue Research Group, Department of Biology, University of York, YO10 5YW, UK

 

The Biomedical Tissue Research group from the University is involved in the isolation and characterisation of adult stem cells from a range of tissue sources, and determining fundamental signalling pathways that are involved in lineage specification, with an emphasis on osteogenic mechanisms. The laboratories are housed within a recently developed £22 million Biosciences Building, clustered around a central Technology Facility (TF), to provide state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, six component laboratories with linked equipment including specialisation in nucleic acids and bioinformatics.

 

The Biomedical Tissue Research group's contribution to the Osteocord project is the provision of BM-MSCs, expression profiling analyses using Affymetrix microarrays with full bioinformatics and follow-up functional analyses using over-expression and RNAi approahces. It also provides the administrative co-ordination for the Osteocord project. The group is led by Dr Paul Genever who is the main contact for the Osteocord project.

 

Dr Paul Genever (Main Osteocord Project Contact) e-mail	Dr Aixin Cheng e-mail	Dr Satya Varanasi e-mail

 

The ethics

Department of Philosophy, University of York, YO10 5DD, UK

 

The European Union required a full ethical review prior to granting our funding. The ethical aspects of the project are a key factor and the University of York are looking at the issues raised by the work we are doing and the issues we have addressed through the work we have completed. Dr Stephen Holland teaches and researches Bioethics and he is the Chair of the University's Department of Health Sciences' Research Governance Committee. Professor Thomas Baldwin is Deputy Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the UK Stem Cell Bank Steering Committee.

 

Professor Tom Baldwin e-mail	Dr Steve Holland e-mail

 

The sociology

Department of Sociology, University of York, YO10 5DD, UK

 

Stem cell research is the subject of massive medical and media interest. A variety of claims are made regarding its possibilities and limitations. The University of York is conducting a full review of the background of mesenchymal stem cell and the expectations from the medical profession, regulatory bodies, and the general public. Dr Nik Brown and Professor Andrew Webster are both established and widely published academics in social science perspectives on medical and life science innovation. This focus on MSCs parallels and compliments their current and past work.

 

Professor Andrew Webster e-mail	Dr Nik Brown e-mail

 

 

Click on the links to access the other Partners:

 

1. University of York, UK
2. University Hospital of Odense, Denmark
3. University of Southern Denmark
4. Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering
5. University of Nottingham, UK
6. Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunology, Mannheim, Germany
7. Angel Biotechnology, Edinburgh, Scotland
8. EC Bio, Oeiras, Portugal
9. Regentec, Nottingham, UK