About

Regenerative medicine is a rapidly growing field that requires comprehensive interactive approaches. New faculty will work with the current regenerative medicine team to expand expertise in cardiac and musculoskeletal biology, among others.

Expertise in three areas will allow for greater advancement of novel ideas and methodologies.

• With a focus on the translational aspects of stem cells, faculty will interact frequently with clinicians at the College of Veterinary Medicine to identify needs and develop clinical projects at the Veterinary Health Complex.
• Engineering faculty will work on the development, manufacturing and operation of custom bioreactors and robotics for targeted applications in regenerative medicine.
• Faculty from the College of Textiles will provide expertise in biomaterials development and characterization, specifically the development and clinical testing of three-dimensional scaffolds.

A pilot manufacturing laboratory is being constructed that will be capable of manufacturing clinical-grade material that can be introduced into patients. To enable development and testing of manufacturing technologies that can be applied to both humans and animals, this state-of-the-art facility will meet all FDA standards and will have capabilities for expansion as the program grows.

These efforts will link the basic and applied research being undertaken at NC State and similar institutions with the clinical needs and expertise at the CVM and nearby human hospitals.

Impact

We are building an internationally recognized program in regenerative medicine based on the unique opportunities available at NC State:

• The availability of naturally occurring and induced large-animal models, and the clinical expertise to study them at the CVM
• The existence of a clinical studies core within the CCMTR with extensive expertise in designing and implementing clinical trials in large animals
• The manufacturing expertise in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, a critical resource for moving science from the bench to the bedside
• The expertise in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, with strengths in multiple aspects of regenerative medicine and functional tissue engineering, and with a link to the strong medical program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• The availability of expertise in material sciences and nonwoven technology in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the College of Textiles, critical for development of new scaffolds required for design of bioengineered organs and tissues
• A strong partnership with the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, essential to facilitate the movement of technologies to the human field

With the creation of this cluster, coupled with the present levels of expertise in the CCMTR, the College of Engineering, the College of Textiles and the College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State is well positioned to educate future scientists in translational regenerative medicine and to share innovative discoveries.

History

Faculty from the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research (CCMTR), the College of Engineering, the College of Textiles and the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) have partnered to establish this cluster with the overall goal of advancing the health and well-being of animals and humans.