The area of Stem Cell Engineering at iBB/IST has established an international track record in the Stem Cell Engineering field [1, 2], as assessed by WTEC in US on behalf of NSF, NIST and NIH. The success of stem cell manufacturing relies on safe, robust and reproducible culture conditions and cost-effective processes, including bioreactor design, bioseparation, microscale technology and process control, combined with systems biology. The development of efficient, scalable and cost-effective production processes for Stem Cells is expected to boost their applications in Cellular and Gene Therapy, Tissue Engineering, high-throughput drug screening, toxicological testing and stem cell research.
[1] WTEC-NSF/NIST/NIH International Assessment of R&D in Stem Cell Engineering report, page 240 (2013)
SCERG (Coordinator: Joaquim M.S. Cabral) relies on a cross-disciplinary strategy combining Bioprocess Engineering with Stem Cell Biology with activities focused on three Focus Areas: (A) Biology and Engineering of Pluripotent Stem Cells; (B) Development and Manufacturing of Cellular & Molecular Therapies; and (C) Devices and Materials Engineering for Sustainability and Health (dMESH).
SCERG Team comprises a group of research scientists and post-graduate students with shared interests in Stem Cells, Bioprocesses, Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine for the diagnosis, treatment and modeling of diseases.