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Institute of Immunity and Transplantation

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Mark Lowdell

Clinical Scientist (Rheumatology)

Research area

Translational cellular immunotherapy and regenerative medicine.

Research programme

Research summary

My group is focussed on the development of cell and tissue medicines for immunotherapy and transplantation. Our work ranges from basic science of how human natural killer cells target tumours to make our anti-cancer immunotherapy better through the effect of stress and strain on human stem cell attachment and differentiation on 3-D tissue scaffolds. Each of our basic research projects is tightly linked to associated translational projects including clinical trials of adoptive NK-immunotherapy in blood cancers, tissue-engineered tracheal replacements, tissue-engineered laryngeal replacements, oesophageal engineering for transplantation, muscle sheet creation for congenital diaphragmatic hernia and engineered epithelial sheets.

In partnership with colleagues we are developing a iPS cell therapy for macula dystrophy and a genetically modified MSC immunotherapy to target lung cancer.

The CCGTT is the foremost academic facility for the manufacture of cell and tissue medicines, so-called Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), in the UK. We are licensed by the UK MHRA and HTA for the procurement, production and storage of human cells & tissues for therapy and ATMP manufacture.

The CCGTT incorporates the UCL/RFH BioBank within the IIT which stores both therapeutic and non-therapeutic research samples for clinical trials and collaborative projects as a resource across UCL Partners.

Patient involvement

As a non-clinical lecturer and consultant scientist I have no direct patient contact. I hold Qualified Person status for the legal release of Investigational cell and gene therapies, one of only two academics in the UK. This greatly facilitates our ability to support early phase clinical trials in ATMPs. I sit on the clinical development team and clinical trial team of all of the ATMP trials in which we are involved and I am a consultant to many commercial cell and gene therapy trials in immunotherapy and regenerative medicine.

Publications

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