ALISON CLAYTON
Chief Executive Officer, Biogelx Ltd.
Alison joined Biogelx following over 25 years in the contract testing business working for Quintiles, Aptuit and Eurofins. She has a strong focus on operational delivery and customer service. She has experience in growing businesses and development of staff. Alison has a degree and PhD from Glasgow University in Pharmacology and has a strong academic background in basic research having spent almost seven years in various post-doctoral research positions.
Who are Biogelx for those who may not have heard of the company?
Biogelx was formed as a spin-out company from Professor Rein Ulijn’s lab at the University of Strathclyde. Biogelx™ self-assembling synthetic peptide products have rapidly gained a global reputation in the area of 3D cell culture for both Regenerative Medicines and Drug Discovery. The materials’ unique ability to emulate specific physical properties of a wide range of different tissue types offers new opportunities for the development of tailored 3D models for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Building on the success of Biogelx™ core peptide technology, the company designed and developed a novel bioink product family (Biogelx™-INKs) which allows the opportunity for the development of advanced three-dimensional tissue models. These hydrogel-based inks are biocompatible and easily printable, exhibiting excellent shear-thinning properties, which reduce the stress experienced by cells when subjected to the printing process. However, the key differentiator of these bioinks is the combination of properties. They are pH neutral and usable at room temperature which makes them easier to handle, and non-animal derived which allows for a greater degree of consistency for bioprinting applications.
What are the biggest challenges in the development of new Regenerative Medicine applications and how can Biogelx address these?
There are many challenges the industry is facing right now from both biomaterial and biofabrication stand points. Traditional fabrication techniques at times struggle with the creation of constructs with the required structural, mechanical, and biological compatibility required. Some biomaterials’ physicochemical microenvironment cannot facilitate self-renewal and differentiation of the cells. Therefore, they are not capable of achieving functional engraftment of implanted tissues.
3D bioprinting works as an alternative approach to fabrication which can create complex structures with precise control over the structure and biological matter. This is especially relevant in the field of implantable regenerative medicine clinical products. Release of affordable 3D bioprinters from manufacturers has increased significantly in recent years; however, a major roadblock identified is the development of technologies that facilitate the implementation of these bioprinters in regenerative medicine clinical manufacturing. One of the most vital, but to date limiting, components required for widespread adoption of bioprinting in regenerative medicine is the availability of effective bio-inks. Such material must offer properties suited to both the printing process and to hosting/maintaining the viability of the cells within the scaffold structure.
At Biogelx, we are working together with a consortium of world-leading academic institutions and industry experts in the fields of regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and media manufacturers to accelerate the realization of biomanufacturing of human tissue products, and thus increase the availability of replacement tissues and organs to patients. We strongly believe that the development of platform technologies able to assist this in bringing regenerative medicine products to market is critical.
Biogelx will host a live webinar on December 4; what will the audience gain from attending this webinar?
This webinar will be presented in collaboration with Regenhu, who are pioneers in the field of additive manufacturing, biomaterials, and biotechnology to lead transformational innovations in Healthcare. We will also be joined by speakers from the University of Glasgow’s Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment and the University of Birmingham’s School of Chemical Engineering. Together, we will provide the background to bioprinting and Biogelx bioinks and then discuss two key projects. One, we have been working on in the past two years aiming to develop bioprinting interphase-based in vitro models that take into account physicochemical and biological heterogeneity of native bone tissue. Our researcher, Álvaro Sánchez-Rubio, will talk about the results we have achieved so far. Furthermore, we will present a new exciting R&D project aiming at the development of novel, functional materials which can be used to replicate tissue to restore functionality following trauma or disease. Our collaborator, Dr. Anita Ghag will discuss the issues she has experienced in working with animal-derived cell culture products, and she will provide an overview of how she wants to overcome these by applying non-animal derived inks.
Our speakers will be answering questions after the webinar, so please register and join us on December 4.
How can people learn more about Biogelx’s peptide-based hydrogel products?
You can visit our website where we regularly publish the latest insight and perspectives from the world of 3D bioprinting, along with the newest evidence for our products. But above all, collaboration is a priority for Biogelx so you can always contact us through our website or by emailing [email protected]. We are here to answer questions, help to solve problems and develop bespoke solutions.