http://www.vhfak.slu.se/ 

SLU is a sector University working side by side with the larger Uppsala University. It employs 2500 staff of whom 1000 are academic. Its research is focussed on the four areas linked to agriculture - Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture. It has aimed at an international frontline position in modern molecular biology, microbiology and protein chemistry including advanced structural biological techniques including x-ray crystallography, NMR and 3-D molecular modelling. Expertise available at SLU in the field of orthopaedics medicine and in vivo trials, combined with a leading molecular-based science program makes SLU an attractive partner in this proposal.

http://www.som.soton.ac.uk/divisions/FOAD/ortho/ 

Professor Richard Oreffo and Dr Helmtrud Roach are part of the Bone and Joint Research Group based within the RAE 5* rated Division of Foetal Origins of Adult Disease (FOAD) directed by Professor Hanson and Professor Barker FRS. The group will shortly become part of the new Centre of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. The new building is located on the Southampton General Hospital site and comprises three stories with an additional sub-basement and will provide ~2,600 m² accommodation to house 80 researchers and support staff. Within the major laboratory complexes will be a dedicated Human Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Unit and centrally-managed generic facilities for Molecular Biology; Vascular Biology; Endocrine and Metabolite Analysis; Tissue Preparation, Microscopy and Image Analysis. The new DOHAD Centre building has been funded by a £4.5M from the university’s SRIF allocation with funds from Wolfson Foundation and Weston Foundation (£5.5M). The centre will bring together a range of staff groups with multidisciplinary expertise in programming mechanisms associated with embryos and stem cell; cardiovascular and vascular biology; metabolism and endocrinology; and mesenchyme and bone development. University Orthopaedics is also associated with a large clinical facility for Trauma and Orthopaedics within Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust. This wealth of equipment, and the know how of the lead applicants in the field of bone tissue engineering is the reason Soton have been invited to join the consortium.

http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/inorg/mann/webpage.htm 

Professor Steve Mann FRS has established an international reputation for work in self-assembly/templating approaches in materials chemistry. His research is principally concerned with the chemical synthesis and characterization of complex forms of organized matter, particularly at the bioinorganic interface. Specifically, his work has explored the interface between biomineralization and materials chemistry, from which he has developed a conceptual framework for the synthetic construction of higher-order inorganic structures. His work on biomineralization has pursued a chemical and structural approach to the study of small-scale functional structures, with particular focus on the synthesis and assembly of nanoscale magnets in magnetotactic bacteria, superparamagnetic iron oxides in ferritin protein cages, and complex chiral architectures in the calcium carbonate coccoliths of certain marine algae. In parallel, he has pioneered a biomimetic approach to materials chemistry based on the use of self-assembled organic structures for the synergistic synthesis of organized inorganic matter. Prof Mann has published over 300 scientific papers, many of which are in highly prestigious journals including Science and Nature. The widespread importance of his work has been recognised in setting up the Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry of which he is the Director in the School of Chemistry at UNIVBRIS. The Centre's research activities are housed in new laboratories and associated with the Electron Microscopy Facility, which consists of five electron microscopes all with EDX analysis systems, and are currently housed in a newly refurbished site with associated laboratory and office space. The Facility is supported by a full-time electron microscopy research associate and technician. Full training is provided on the operation of all the microscopes and associated equipment. Basic specimen preparation facilities for routine electron microscopy are also available. Besides the EM facilities, the Centre has full use of a wide range of facilities required in materials research, including; XRD, TGA, FTIR, UV/VIS and liquid and solid state NMR spectroscopies, BET, SAXS, zeta potential analysis, MS, GPC and high temperature furnaces. In terms of general research and academic infrastructure, the School of Chemistry at UNIVBRIS is a grade 5* department with 47 members of staff, and a research community of over 200 postgraduate research students and postdoctoral research assistants offering training in a wide variety of distinguished research programmes. Achieving correct mineralisation of composites is of paramount importance to the project’s likelihood of success which is why UNIVBRIS were invited to join the consortium.

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~abrg/ABRGweb.html 

UOXF.AT is one of the world´s oldest universities with an excellent record in almost every subject area. Over the last 100 years the university has world lead the world in the fields of zoology, ecology and developmental biology. UOXF.AT also offers excellent facilities with respect to studies of protein structure and function and has hosted leading protein scientists such as Dame Dorothy Hodgkin and Sir David Phillips. Prof Vollrath's group in UOXF.AT is one of the leading research laboratories worldwide working on silks and specifically spider silks. This has been been recognised by the recent award of a E.U. Training and Mobility grant to his group, which at this moment consists of 2 Dphil students and 4 senior scientists. Over the last 10 years the group has produced over 100 scientific publications on silk and attracted research funding from a wide range of sponsors and organisations. The focus of the research in the group has shifted over the years generating unique insights into all aspects of silk: from the chemistry of the spinning feedstocks to the physical details of the spinning conditions, from analysis of the mechanical properties to the underlying molecular mechanisms, from the descriptions of silk mechanics to highly accurate models and simulations. The analytical tools used by the group range from all levels of microscopy, from FTIR- and Raman-spectroscopy as well as X-ray diffraction on single sub-micron fibres to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance on both feedstock and fibres. In addition the group has several unique stress-strain testers as well as a dedicated Instron and a micro-rheometer. The insights of the group and the tools available will range from crucial to very useful when testing the different materials that the consortium aims to generate. Prof Vollrath’s unrivalled knowledge of arthropod silks and their mechanical properties is the central reason for UOXF.AT’s partnership.

http://www.3hbiomedical.com 

3H Biomedical AB is an innovative life-science company that develops market-driven products and testing for cell research, the cell-based tissue engineering market and therapeutic vaccine market. 3H Biomedical AB began to operate in April 2004. Dr. Mallen Huang and Dr. Anders Gobl are the founders of the company. 3H Biomedical have extensive expertise in the areas of cell and tissue culture, including: Stem cells, EPCs, Mesenchymal stem cells, Immune cells, Primary cell culture, Cell transplantation, Gene-modification of primary cells, Immunology, and Molecular Biology, as well as the formulation of therapeutic vaccines for the treatment and prevention of cancer and other diseases. 3H biomedical also has access to Hyaluronic Gel Technology.