OPN talks with Professor John Fisher, a leading researcher at the School of Medical Engineering, University of Leeds, about pioneering research in the fields of medical devices and regenerative medicine
OPN: Tell us a little about your background and education in the orthopaedic industry?
JF: I am a leading researcher in medical and biological engineering – having been Director of the Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering at the University of Leeds until 2016. My leadership of the research portfolio has included: Director of Wellcome Trust & EPSRC Centre for Excellence in Medical Engineering (WELMEC), Director of the EPSRC Medical Technologies Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Director of EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices (MeDe Innovation), Director of White Rose Doctoral Training Centre in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, and Co-Director of NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit. As the former Director of the Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, I provided leadership to over 100 academic researchers in Medical Engineering at Leeds – working towards a common goal of 50 Active Years After 50®.
We were rewarded with the 2012 Queen’s Anniversary Prize, the country’s highest accolade for an academic institution. The award, which was presented by the Queen in February 2012, recognised the contribution iMBE made during two decades of cutting-edge medical engineering research and impact.
I am also a chartered engineer, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
OPN: Could you explain more about your work at the University of Leeds and the emerging developments you see in medical engineering?
JF: At the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering we are dedicated to improving the quality of life of an ageing population, and it is our belief that our second 50 years can be as active as the first.
We are undertaking solution-focused pioneering research in the fields of medical devices and regenerative medicine, innovating and translating novel therapies into practical clinical applications.
Our expertise is in the area of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems with our research focusing on three main areas – joint replacement, tissue re-engineering and functional spinal interventions.
In joint replacement and substitution, we have uniquely positioned ourselves to study all aspects of joint replacement function and performance, in terms of wear, lubrication, debris and functional biocompatibility.
But it is in tissue re-engineering that we will see the most exciting and innovative developments. Supported by our intellectual property portfolio on immunocompatible biomimetic natural scaffolds, and led by Professor Eileen Ingham in the Faculty of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with NHS Blood & Transplant Tissue Services and Tissue Regenix, we are researching and developing functional soft tissue solutions for life-critical applications.
Biomimetic natural scaffolds which retain the essential biological and biomechanical attributes of the natural tissue offer great potential for the re-engineering and regeneration of cardiovascular and orthopaedic tissues in which restoration of physical function is critical immediately upon implantation. Our biomimetic natural acellular scaffolds can be implanted directly and regenerated by the recipients own endogenous stem cells, or can be regenerated with differentiated or stem cells in vitro in bespoke physically interactive bioreactors.
We aim to become one of the globally leading research centres for functional engineering of soft tissues for orthopaedic and cardiovascular applications.
OPN: Recently you led the Leeds City Region audit, ‘Opportunities and Growth: Medical Technologies’ – could you tell us what the audit identified?
JF: We carried out an extensive review of science and innovation to map research and innovation s