Regenerative medicine technologies for bone damage

Two decades of research council funding has supported the development of bone stem cell and biomaterial technology, leading to:

• the first custom-made hip replacement using stem cells in 2014. Between 2014 and 2020 (pre-COVID-19), a further 20 patients were treated using this method
• the formation of a University of Southampton spin-out, Renovos Biologics Limited (Renovos) in 2017

This work has been led by Professor Richard Oreffo and Professor Jonathan Dawson at both the University of Southampton and Renovos.

Renovos is developing a novel nanoclay, RENOVITE®, that provides a platform technology for medical applications, including orthopaedics, wound repair and dental. They raised £870,000 in private and public sector funding between 2017 and 2020. In 2023, they began a significant partnership with Biocomposites.

Professor Oreffo says: “Among the challenges posed by our ageing population is the need for novel and cost-effective solutions to bone repair. Musculoskeletal disorders affect over 20 million people across the UK, with an NHS cost of more than £5 billion. Interdisciplinary strategies harnessing skeletal stem cell-based therapies offer some of the most exciting and promising areas for bone disease treatment and bone regenerative medicine.

For over 20 years, I have been fortunate to receive direct grant support from the BBSRC to examine bone stem cells isolated from adult tissue. This includes bone marrow together with scaffolds from a range of materials to develop bone in the lab, plus being able to translate our research through to tangible patient benefits for real-world problems.”

Supplement salad: tackling B12 deficiency with pea shoots

A collaboration between the John Innes Centre (JIC), Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB), and LettUs Grow (specialists in indoor farming technologies) has unveiled a novel approach to enhancing salad crops, addressing nutritional deficiencies often linked to plant-based diets.

Together, the team used a soilless aeroponic system, where plant roots are suspended in a fine mist of water and nutrients, to successfully introduce Vitamin B12 into pea shoots. Vitamin B12, typically found in animal products or fortified foods, is a vital nutrient that supports energy production and neurological health. Plants do not usually produce B12, which poses an issue for individuals following vegetarian or vegan diets.

The project, led by Professor Antony Dodd at the JIC and supported by Professor Martin Warren at QIB, has been underpinned by a BBSRC Follow-on Fund (FOF) grant. The BBSRC FOF is designed to support the translation of fundamental research into practical application, including commercialisation.

The concept was developed by Dr Bethany Eldridge through a BBSRC Flexible Talent Mobility Account (FTMA) award. The FTMA, which supports exchanges for researchers between different bioscience settings, allowed Dr Eldridge to work with the three partners to conduct the core exploratory work behind fortifying pea shoots with B12. 

Work to commercialise B12 fortified salads is at an advanced stage, with plans for commercial rollout in 2025.

B12-fortified pea shoots represent a nutrient-rich addition to salad bags, offering a simple way to meet daily B12 requirements because just 15g of this salad provides adults with their recommended daily allowance. This offers an exciting and potentially more effective alternative to supplements.

New ways for treating recurrent gut infections

Researchers at the Quadram Institute (QI) are contributing to the application of Faecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) for the treatment of microbiome-associated disorders. Professor Arjan Narbad and Dr Ngozi Elumogo have become national experts for FMT, a treatment for recurrent gut infections that are unresponsive to antibiotics. FMT is the transfer of screened stool and associated microbiota from healthy donors to patients. Infections and antibiotic use can disturb our microbiota, causing a drop in healthy species and the proliferation of harmful species. Our healthy bacteria then cannot outcompete harmful species, causing chronic or recurring illness.

Professor Narbad has developed a facility within QI to obtain, screen and deliver material suitable for the treatment of recurrent Clostridiodes difficile infections. His team worked on ways to improve FMT, plus ongoing fundamental research on the human gut microbiome. This involved vital long-term collaboration with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), where Dr Elumogo is a Consultant in Clinical Microbiology. She is also a Senior Research Fellow in translational medicine, jointly funded by NNUH and QI, bringing a wealth of clinical expertise and acting as a critical bridge between fundamental research and clinical application at the patient’s bedside.

Together, they developed a new protocol, which was piloted on 26 patients with C. difficile. There was a success cure rate of over 90% within the cohort. FMT also has the potential to save the NHS around £8,000 per patient, compared to the cost of antibiotics, by achieving a cure for C. difficile infection (rather than disease suppression) and reducing the risk of transmission.

In 2024, Dr Elumogo was part of a working group that successfully updated UK national guidelines on FMT to ensure the safety and efficacy of the treatment.

The research on FMT is funded by BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme funding and the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Gastrointestinal Infections.

New guidance on powdered infant formula preparation

Infant formula is an essential product for infants aged under 12 months who are not breastfed. It exists in two varieties: ‘ready to feed’ liquid and powdered formula. Unlike ‘ready to feed’ milk, powdered formula cannot be made sterile. The correct preparation of the powder, using water boiled in a kettle and still at least 70ºC, is vital to kill any bacteria present. As babies have under-developed immune systems, there is a risk of infection from any remaining bacteria.

Dr Aimee Grant, a Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Swansea University, led a team of academics, health professionals, and third-sector experts to explore the safety of at-home infant formula preparation. The project was funded by the Citizen Science for Food Standards Challenges programme, a collaboration between the Food Standards Agency, BBSRC and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Her project worked with parents to co-design the study using “citizen science”, including asking parents to test the temperature of the water used to prepare their infant formula.

It was found that many infant formula preparation machines tested (85% of 74 machines) did not appear to produce water that would be hot enough to kill all harmful bacteria, which could present a risk to infant health. The research findings were communicated to the NHS and in December 2023 their online guidance for formula feeding was updated to include ‘Using a baby formula preparation machine’. This guidance may help parents provide safer formula for their babies.