Investigators at CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Medical Devices based at NUI Galway, have demonstrated the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) delivery using a three-dimensional microgel platform, to assist with tissue repair in patients suffering from critical limb ischemia and other peripheral arterial diseases. Peripheral arterial disease is a chronic vascular disease characterised by impaired circulation to the lower extremities. Its most severe stage, known as critical limb ischemia (CLI), puts patients at an increased risk of cardiovascular events, infected and non-healing wounds, amputation, and death.   CLI affects millions of patients globally. Advancing age combined with other risk factors such as diabetes and smoking suggests that the condition will only increase in the near future. CÚRAM’s research in innovative ‘smart’ medical devices and implants aims to benefit patients with chronic soft tissue ailments such as CLI, as well as cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neural, renal and respiratory diseases. This study, ‘Temporal Changes Guided by Mesenchymal Stem Cells on a 3D Microgel Platform Enhances Angiogenesis In Vivo at a Low-Cell Dose’ published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), one of the most influential journals on scientific progress, illustrates how a low dose of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) embedded in a three-dimensional microgel cell delivery platform, can induce rapid blood vessel regeneration and tissue repair. Mesenchymal stem cells are adult stem cells found in the bone marrow that are important for making and repairing skeletal tissues. Therapeutic factors secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promote the regeneration of blood vessels. Still, delivery of these stem cells to the patient in isolation and outside of their normal environmental conditions offers only a limited benefit to patients, with issues such as poor graft survival. The delivery of stem cells on an extracellular matrix (ECM)-based platform; however, changes cell behaviour and enhances the potential for tissue repair, reduces inflammation and further tissue damage. “Our fundamental research adds to current knowledge about cell encapsulation strategies by highlighting the importance of preconditioning or priming the capacity of biomaterials through cell-material interactions. Obtaining therapeutic efficacy at a low-cell dose in the microgel platform is a promising clinical route that would aid faster tissue repair in patients suffering from peripheral arterial diseases such as Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI)” said Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM and lead author on the paper. Further basic investigation of the biochemical nature of the 3-D delivery platform and its influence on the over or under expression of cellular receptors will be the focus of a future study. From a cell therapy point-of-view, the 3-D model platform developed during this research offers a significant benefit over other cell delivery platforms with the use of a twenty-fold lower cell dose than that of the gold-standard used in pre-clinical ischemia studies. This illustrates the importance of preconditioning the MSCs on a 3-D microgel platform that allows the use of a low-cell dose as a localised therapy to reverse ischemia. According to Professor Pandit: “These findings will be increasingly significant, as future studies will investigate ECM-based three-dimensional niches using our platform technology for engineering constructs that will allow replication of native cellular microenvironments for enhancing the regenerative capacity of stem cells. Besides, we are very keen on transferring this technology to the clinic with our clinical collaborators.” The multi-disciplinary research team led by Professor Pandit involved Professor Tim O’Brien, Co-PI at CÚRAM and the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUI Galway, CÚRAM researchers Dr Dilip Thomas, Dr Grazia Marsico, Dr Gianluca Fontana and Dr Isma Liza Mohd Isa, Dr Arun Thirumaran and Dr Xizhe Chen, Dr Bart Lukasz and Dr Brian Rodriguez from the Conway Institute, University College Dublin and Professor Martina Marchetti-Deschmann from the Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics, TU Wien of the Vienna University of Technology, Austria. This research was supported by Science Foundation Ireland and co-funded by the ERDF as well as through EMBO short-term fellowships with use of core-facilities and technical assistance at NUI Galway. The full paper can be accessed at www.pnas.org. For further information, please contact Claire O’Riordan at claire.riordan@nuigalway.ie -Ends-

NUI Galway and the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC), affiliated with the Ministry of Education in China, have announced the acceptance of ten Chinese students to pursue a PhD at NUI Galway. Eight of these students have been accepted for PhDs under supervision of academics at the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences while a further two students will receive supervision from the School of Engineering. Each of the ten successful applicants will receive full scholarship support. All eight students intending to study at the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at NUI Galway will come from Xiangya School of Medicine of Central South University and are preparing for careers as academic clinicians. Xiangya School of Medicine of Central South University was founded in 1914 and is one of the earliest medical schools to introduce western medicine into China. Following a rigorous selection process in China the students have been chosen after to undertake projects proposed by researchers at NUI Galway. The CSC is the Chinese Ministry of Education’s non-profit organisation that provides support for international academic exchange with China. The CSC provides both funding for Chinese citizens and residents to study abroad, and for students and scholars from around the World to study in China. In welcoming this announcement Professor Timothy O’Brien, Dean of the College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences and Director of the Confucius Institute for Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at NUI Galwaysaid: “This is the first year of a new partnership with Xiangya School of Medicine of Central South University and we look forward to the arrival of these outstanding students in Galway.  This partnership will promote joint clinical research between the EU and China. It is proposed that NUI Galway will host an annual symposium for the Chinese Scholarship Council PhD fellows commencing in 2020/2021.” Professor Becky Whay, Vice-President for Internationalisation at NUI Galway, said: “We are delighted to welcome these students who have gone through a rigorous competitive process to be selected to study with our academic teams here at NUI Galway. We look forward to the outputs of their research and the cultural interchange this scheme provides.” Professor Sanbing Shen, Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Associate Director of Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at NUI Galway, said at the announcement: “We are grateful to Chinese Scholarship Council for promoting Ireland-China scientific exchanges and to Professor Xiaochuang Wu and Xingcan Zhou at the Xiangya School of Medicine of Central South University for initiating this program. We look forward to welcoming the CSC-funded students to NUI Galway and to turning this program into a successful example of friendship and international scientific collaboration.” -ENDS-  

Livestock farming contributes one third of Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, posing a unique challenge to achieve a national commitment to achieving net zero GHG emissions post 2050. The EPA-funded SeQUEsTER project seeks to chart potential pathways for Irish agriculture and land use that can deliver net zero GHG emissions. There are a number of challenges and some fundamentally differing perspectives on Ireland’s role in global actions on climate change and food security. To that end, SeQUEsTER will launch The Sequester Journal, a new blog series that will feature high profile national and international experts from academic, social and political spheres. Contributing authors to date include: CCAFS Flagship Leader for Low Emissions Development, Dr Lini Wollenberg; Basque Centre for Climate Change Livestock GHG Modelling Specialist, Professor Agustin del Prado; Professor of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College Dublin and member of the Climate Change Advisory Council, Alan Matthews; Molecular ecologist and agro-ecosystem analyst at the James Hutton Institute, Dr Pietro Iannetta; and Life Cycle Assessment Scientist for AgResearch New Zealand, Dr Andre Mazzetto. The series will cover topics related to four themes: The potential role of Ireland’s farm forestry in an EU Green Deal. Opportunities for Ireland’s bio-economy in an EU Green Deal. The importance of a carbon neutral Irish agriculture sector: An international perspective What can Ireland learn from other countries as it transitions agriculture towards carbon neutrality Principal investigator on the project, Dr Dave Styles, who has contributed the blog’s inaugural piece, highlighted the importance of encouraging dialogue, saying:  “The significant changes required to meaningfully tackle the climate emergency will entail disruption, challenges and opportunities. There is an urgent need to engage the public in the choices we face if we wish to prosper through the transformations necessary to leave a decent world for future generations to enjoy.” NUI Galway Postdoctoral Researcher and Model Integration Lead, Dr Colm Duffy, also emphasized the need for engagement: “We are acutely aware that we need to effectively communicate our work to all stakeholders, and we are endeavouring to make our work and our research team as accessible as possible.” The Sequester Journal’s first edition will be live from Friday, 24 July, and engagement from the public is welcomed to provide a broad spectrum of perspectives and balance to this crucial debate. To access the blog or find out more about the sequester project visit https://www.plantagbiosciences.org/project/sequester/category/blog/ and follow https://twitter.com/SeQUEsTER_proj on twitter. For more information or to contribute an article to the blog contact Dr Colm Duffy at colm.duffy@nuigalway.ie. -Ends-