REGENERATIVE MEDICINE WORKSHOP
FRIDAY 26 APRIL 2013
Venue: Room 439-G10, Ground Floor, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, 70 Symonds Street, Auckland.
Regenerative Medicine [RM] aims at helping the body to regenerate damaged tissues by providing cells
and/or bioactive compounds and, in its widest sense, brings together life sciences with engineering principles
and manufacturing science in the development of biological substitutes for the replacement, repair and
maintenance of human tissue and the enhancement of its function. With the appropriate translational
research and knowledge transfer, RM will find expression at a commercially relevant scale and stand to
bring advanced solutions in treating the afflictions of trauma and chronic illness.
THE AIMS OF THE WORKSHOP WILL BE TO:
 Establish an appreciation of Regenerative Medicine [RM] rationale, progress-todate and the main challenges to be met.
 Provide insights into New Zealand’s RM-related capability and performance.
 Identify leads for collaboration in support of the advancement of RM as a cohesive
new industry in New Zealand.
SPEAKERS AND EXPERT COMMENTATORS
Professor Peter Hunter FRS,
Professor David Williams
Director of Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University
of Auckland
Director of EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in
Regenerative Medicine, UK.
Dr Diana Siew
Professor Jill Cornish
Leader of the Medical Device Technology Group at
Industrial Research Limited and Co-lead of the
Consortium for Medical Device Technologies
Leader of Bone and Joint Laboratory Research Group,
University of Auckland
Associate Professor Mervyn Merrilees
Brian Ward
School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland; CoFounder of Matrexa LLC
CEO of Mesynthes Ltd
Professor Colin Green
Dr Tim Woodfield
School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland;
Co-Founder of CoDaTherapeutics [NZ] Ltd and CoDa
Therapeutics Inc
Leader of Christchurch Regenerative Medicine and Tissue
Engineering Group [CReATE], University of Otago
Dr Yang Liu
Mark McCall
Lecturer, Senior Research Associate, Healthcare
Engineering Group, Loughborough University, UK
Postgraduate researcher at EPSRC Doctoral Training
Centre in Regenerative Medicine, UK
PROGRAMME
7.45am
Registration
8.15am
Welcome
8.30am
Session 1: Description of Regenerative Medicine; how it fits with relevant research and
enterprise in New Zealand. The capabilities of Auckland Bioengineering Institute [ABI] in
support of Regenerative Medicine. The Consortium for Medical Device Technologies [CMDT]
initiative. PROF PETER HUNTER and DR DIANA SIEW
Session 2: The main challenges to be met in Regenerative Medicine including: research
translation, technology selection and management, stem cell exploitation and engineering,
immune tolerance induction, tissue three-dimensionalisation and vascularisation, design-forclinic, manufacturing scale-up, remote and near-to-patient manufacturing, tissue storage and
transport, value-chain management, lab-to-marketplace navigation, building the RM
community, investing in the future. PROF DAVID WILLIAMS
9.45am
Q&A for sessions 1, 2
10.30am Break
10.45am Session 3: Regenerative Medicine products currently on or close-to-market; the situation for
New Zealand products; challenges. ASSOC PROF MERVYN MERRILEES [elastin-rich skin], BRIAN
WARD [ovine-sourced dermal templates], PROF COLIN GREEN [gap junction technology-based
wound healing products]
Session 4: Skeletal regeneration and the skelGEN project, novel hormones for osteogenesis.
PROF JILL CORNISH
Midday
Q&A for all sessions
12.30pm Lunch Break
1.30pm
Session 6: Scaffolds and biomaterials; biofabrication technologies, cartilage and bone repair.
DR TIM WOODFIELD
Session 7: Production systems and processes for cell based products; translation to commercial
manufacture and clinical use; automated and scaled production. PROF DAVID WILLIAMS
2.30pm
Q&A for all sessions
3.00pm
Break
3.15pm
Session 8: Roundup. Discussion and confirmation of initial leads for collaboration in support of
RM advancement in New Zealand. Agreement on follow-up.
PANEL: PROF PETER HUNTER, PROF JILL CORNISH, PROF DAVID WILLIAMS, DR DIANA SIEW,
DR TIM WOODFIELD
BIOGRAPHS
[awaited]