Stem cells are the building blocks of the human body. There are two types:
Embryonic, which can turn into any type of cell; and adult stem cells, which have a specific purpose. Stem cell research holds great promise for creating reprogrammed stem cells, customised to be genetically identical to a patient, that replace damaged tissue upon transplantation.
The BIRAX Programme supports ground-breaking research that:
- Explores the use of stem cell technology and tissue engineering in the context of fundamental disease processes ;
- Discovers new mechanisms that might be targeted to develop novel therapeutic applications of regenerative medicines;
- Advances understanding of stem cell biology, using lessons learnt from developing tissues and organs, or the mechanisms underlying cell fate and the principles of cellular pluripotency for the development of stem cell-based therapies and;
- Advances cell and gene therapies.
