Research collaborations

Our collaborations

We constantly strive to produce safe, high quality tissue allografts and run a continuous programme of product and process improvement. Much of this programme is performed through collaboration with external academic institutions. The programme ranges from the development of new methods of providing "traditional" tissue banking services through to the application of tissue engineering techniques where donor cells are removed from tissue prior to banking or grafting.

Our Research and Development team has collaborated with academic colleagues from:

• University of Leeds
• University of York
• University of London
• University of Manchester
• University of Liverpool
• Other UK tissue banks

Most of the funding for this research and development has come from UK Research Councils and national charities. 

Collaborative projects include:

• Development of a novel technique to cryopreserve articular cartilage allografts whilst maintaining cell viability – with Professor David Pegg, University of York.
• Development of a de-cellularisation technique in soft tissue allografts including skin, tendon, blood vessels, pericardium and heart valves with Professor John Fisher and Professor Eileen Ingham at University of Leeds. University of Leeds has patented this technique and Tissue Services has been granted a licence to exploit the method for use on human tissues in the UK.
• Development of methods for re-colonising de-cellularised allografts with or without a conditioning step within complex bioreactors – Professors Fisher and Ingham, University of Leeds.
• Development of decellularised amnion followed by addition of limbal stem cells as a possible carrier vehicle for eye repair – Professors Fisher and Ingham, University of Leeds and Dr. Julie Daniels, University of London.
• Development of a method to remove bone marrow components from single femoral heads – with Professor Keith Holland and Dr. Richard Bojar, University of Leeds and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.