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UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science

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UCL Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine

9 April 2014

The UCL Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine has, in the past month, secured a number of prestigious awards, emboldening its reputation as a world-class research centre.

Dr Achala de Mel, Lecturer in Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine, has received an Impact Award to carry out research on nitric oxide releasing nanocomposites for wound healing, with industrial collaborations. This will enable the team to train a student in the above multidisciplinary area, ranging from nanotechnology, materials, molecular biology, and surgical application of the basics science, particularly in wound healing. The project is promising, with its potential for translational and commercial impact, and will be one of the projects on which the Centre's PIs are working to explore the wider influence of nitric oxide eluting materials.

Dr Michelle Griffin, PhD student and former student of the MSc in Burns, Plastic & Regenerative Medicine, has been awarded a two-year research training fellowship by Action Medical Research. Her PhD, funded by the Royal College of Surgeons and under the supervision of Professor Alexander Seifalian, Professor Peter Butler and Dr Deepak Kalaskar, has involved developing ear implants for children born with small or absent ears, using a unique synthetic nanocomposite biomaterial, POSS-PCU, developed by Professor Seifalian to overcome complications with existing surgical techniques and implants. The fellowship, due to commence in September 2014, will allow Michelle to bring the ear implants to clinical trial. It is hoped that the implants will be available within the next four years for children born with all types of ear deformities. In addition, this research may provide the foundation for creating different types of facial implants, helping children born with other facial deformities.

Professor Alexander Seifalian, Head of the UCL Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine, who himself was recently awarded a £120,000 donation from Goldman Sachs for the development of facial organs, is delighted at his team's recent successes.