A new major international research centre has been established with the support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. A sum of up to 300 million euros has been granted by the Nordisk Foundation to establish the research centre. According to recent research, stem cell based- treatments will be delivering hope for new treatments across many incurable diseases.
The research centre will collaborate with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia, and Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands. The collaboration of the three world-leading research organizations has made this establishment possible; they have paved the way for future stem cell-based treatments.
\They will be able to aid the untreatable diseases of human life. Stem cells are found throughout the whole human body, and they are significant to leading a healthy life. We all had read about stem cells when we were in school or college, but we didn’t know their possible function.
Recent scientific researches have made it possible for us to identify, isolate and engineer the stem cells to create human tissue models, repair the injured tissues, and it also helps in the growth of new organs in our body.
To harness the potential in stem cell medicine is crucial to understanding stem cell biology in tissue repair organ development and disease mechanisms. reNEW will establish a new research centre based on a new consortium of three leading research institutions by the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine.
Their main work will identify, isolate and engineer the stem cells to create human tissues. This is what the latest stem cell research centre will be aiming to achieve. The Nordisk Foundation Center has granted a sum of 300 million euros over ten years, and only possible due to this funding the research is possible.
“Stem cell medicine promises to be a game-changer when it comes to addressing some of the major health challenges facing the world today. With the establishment of the new Center, the aim is not just to further stem cell-based research through international collaborations but also to strengthen the pathway from scientific discovery to the targeted outcome, whether in the form of new medical technology or new forms of treatment for the benefits of the patients.” Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of Novo Nordisk Foundation Center said.
In the research centre, it is expected that discoveries will go beyond high-quality fundamental stem cell research, and it will create value and help the patients in all possible outcomes. The reNEW model is entitled to a vision on “state of the art” stem cell science to follow three clinically relevant research themes.
The first will be the reBUILD theme, where they will focus on using stem cells to regenerate or recreate tissue after it has been damaged or destroyed. The stem cell-based therapies programmes will include diseases like Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, congenital heart disease, ulcerative colitis and chronic renal disease. These projects will move over time into pre-clinical and clinical trials.
The second on the list is the reSOLVE theme; this will screen for potential drug candidates using the stem cell-based treatments to human tissue models. Lab-grown models of mini-organs like 3D gut organoids will be included here to screen for drugs to treat conditions such as chronic ulceration and inherited kidney and heart disease.
The third and the last on the list is the reWRITE theme; this will be used as a combination of gene editing and stem cell technologies to develop various new treatment plans for genetically inherited diseases. These include immune deficiency disorders and progressive congenital muscle disorders.
The CEO of the reNEW partnership will be Professor Melissa Little of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia. She will take the position as the Executive Director and Professor of the Center with the governing hub based at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.
The scientists at the three institutions will start working in collaborative groups across all themes to provide new therapeutic options for patients with incurable diseases. Joint technology projects and exchange programmes in the reNEW model will fuel these collaborations and help train new scientists in transitional stem medicine.
The research activities will begin at the start of January 2022 within the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine.
