News

Healthy outlook for Durham spin-out company

(3 April 2006)

Durham University spin-out company ‘ReInnervate’ has secured £450,000 of funding with help from the Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences (CELS).

‘ReInnervate’, founded in 2002 by Dr Stefan Przyborski, School of Biological and Biomedical Science, has a growing reputation in the field of biotechnology. It is set to play an important role in developing stem cell technology in the North East’s economy. The company develops tools to enable research into stem cell biology which may ultimately lead to new diagnostics and treatments for neuro-degenerative diseases.

Dr Stefan Przyborski said: “Stem cells are particularly important to the study of tissue development and degenerative diseases because tissues such as nerve cells are notoriously delicate and difficult to grow and investigate. This makes it hard for scientists to study aspects of diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and also brain tumours such as Neuroblastoma – a childhood cancer. Increasing our knowledge about stem cells will further develop our understanding of such diseases and cancers.”

ReInnervate will contribute to solving some of these problems by developing technologies that control the differentiation of stem cells and the formation of specific tissue types. For example, it will use technology to grow a consistent supply of nerve cells in the laboratory. “By making brain nerve cells that are as functionally normal as possible, our technology means that scientists will now be able to study the effects of drugs in a meaningful way and develop new drugs and diagnostic tests with more confidence,” said Dr Przyborski.

ReInnervate’s reputation has grown out of its collaboration with Durham University and a unique combination of expertise in chemistry and biology. The spin-out company will use the funding from CELS over the next three years to pioneer major developments in stem cell technology. Dr Carolyn Horrocks is one of the CELS team driving forward the region’s plans for commercial exploitation of stem cell research. She said: “ReInnervate is a perfect example of how CELS is assisting healthcare and life science companies in North East England. The technology is a breakthrough that will allow stem cell research to move more quickly towards clinical trials and, in time, lead to innovative new products and services on the market.”

Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University and director of CELS, commented: “The funding is great news for ReInnervate and, as a consequence, for research into stem cell biology. North East England is one of the global leaders in stem cell research and part of this success comes from the translation of university-led research into commercial development. CELS is playing a crucial role in developing such collaborations and in growing the stem cell sector in the region.”