Research project

Identifying the skeletal stem cell for regeneration: harnessing smart nanoparticles and single cell DropSeq molecular profiling platforms

Project overview

We propose that new approaches, which combine stem cell biology with the latest approaches to identify and cells together with innovative statistical methods will allow us to enrich and isolate the bone stem cell.

In this unique programme of work we will be able, for the first time, to use very small (nanoscale) probes to further refine our cell selection and identification strategy. In particular, we will combine a novel single cell identification procedure (which produces a "barcode" for each cell) with unique cell sorting devices to allow us to isolate bone stem cells. We will combine the unique bar codes (derived from the molecular (RNA) machinery) in the individual cells in combination with the smart nano-probes to allow us to tag cells that will separate and examine if they are stem cells and their ability to make bone and cartilage. Through this unique approach we will enrich for bone stem cells that we will characterise and examine if they are stem cells and test their ability to make bone and cartilage.

This exciting programme of research offers the ability to isolate the bone stem cell and provide substantially enriched, and potentially pure populations of bone stem cells. This will advance considerably our understanding of bone stem cell basic biology and offer significant therapeutic impact for bone repair and the treatment of bone disorders in our ageing population.

Staff

Other researchers

Professor Benjamin Macarthur

Personal Chair

Research interests

  • Mathematical modeling
  • Machine learning 
  • Networks
Connect with Benjamin

Research outputs

Benita Scout MacKay, Matthew Praeger, James Grant-Jacob, Janos Kanczler, Robert Eason, Richard Oreffo & Benjamin Mills, 2020, Tissue and Cell, 67
Type: article