Establishment of a cell culture facility at Biogelx for the in-house validation and testing of Biogelx hydrogels

Biogelx开发和生产模仿人体内部环境的材料。与在塑料或玻璃上培养细胞的传统方法相比，这些新材料在实验室环境中支持体外细胞的生长，条件更现实。使用Biogelx材料可以让研究人员在更接近人体自然环境的条件下研究细胞对药物或有毒物质等测试物质的反应，在某些情况下可以用来替代动物测试。Biogelx团队主要由具有化学背景的科学家组成，专门从事新材料的开发。为了改进他们的产品并扩大他们为客户提供的服务，Biogelx需要一个适合培养细胞的实验室设施。为了建立一个培养细胞的实验室，他们需要一位具有生物学背景的科学家的知识，他在这一领域拥有专业知识。这将确保在新的实验室设施中对在Biogelx材料上生长的细胞进行的测试将达到适当的标准并产生可靠的结果。第二名学生Fiona Murphy博士拥有10多年的生物学家工作经验，在实验室条件下生长的细胞上进行动物测试和实验。她热衷于开发进行研究的新方法，这种方法将减少生物医学测试中使用的动物数量，同时仍然提供可靠的结果。借调到Biogelx，墨菲博士有机会利用她在大学实验室担任生物学家的经验来指导Biogelx生物设施的建立，使她对在商业实验室环境中工作有了深入的了解。在新设施的一系列试运行中，墨菲博士将使用Biogelx平台培养细胞，以确保设施的运行达到适当的标准。这些测试实验还将产生一些对墨菲博士自己的研究目标非常重要的初步结果。Biogelx与赫里奥特-瓦特大学的墨菲博士的合作将有助于公司的扩张和发展，并通过在商业实验室环境中获得的工作经验增加墨菲博士未来的职业流动性。

Biogelx develops and produces materials that mimic the internal environment of the body. These new materials support the growth of cells outside the body in a laboratory environment under more realistic conditions than traditional methods where cells are grown on plastic or glass. Using the Biogelx material allows researchers to study the cells response to test substances such as drugs or toxic agents under conditions that are more similar to the natural environment of the body which in certain circumstances can be used as a replacement to animal testing.The Biogelx team is largely made up of scientists with a background in chemistry who specialize in the development of new materials. To improve their product and expand the services they offer to clients Biogelx need a laboratory facility suitable for growing cells. To set-up a laboratory to grow cells they require the knowledge of a scientist with a biology background who has expertise in this area. This will ensure tests carried out on cells grown on the Biogelx material in the new laboratory facility will meet the appropriate standards and generate reliable results.The secondee, Dr Fiona Murphy, has over 10 years' experience working as a biologist and carrying out both animal testing and experiments on cells grown in laboratory conditions. She is passionate about developing new approaches to conducting research which will reduce the numbers of animals used in biomedical testing while still providing reliable results. The secondment with Biogelx provides Dr Murphy the opportunity to use her experience working as a biologist in a University laboratory to guide the establishment of the biology facility at Biogelx, giving her an insight into working in a commercial laboratory environment. In a series of test-runs of the new facility Dr Murphy will grow cells using the Biogelx platform to ensure the facility is operational up to the appropriate standards. These test experiments will also produce some preliminary results important for Dr Murphy's own research goals.The partnership between Biogelx and Dr Murphy from Heriot-Watt University will help the company to expand and grow and also increase the future career mobility of Dr Murphy through experience gained working in a commercial lab environment.