The world-wide need for the development of replacement human tissue, via regenerative medicine and stem cell applications, has resulted in the development of a new state-of-the-art cleanroom and laboratory research facility at Loughborough University.

The new 770m² multi-disciplinary Centre for Biological Engineering is the latest investment in research to improve human health by Loughborough University and the East Midlands Development Agency. The University aims to achieve the realization of regenerative medicine, cell technologies, and plasma medicine, through combining the human cell and tissue research programs of three university departments; the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, and the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

To combine the three different fields of research in one multi-disciplinary research center required flexibility and transparency in the design. The team used its previous experience with designing and constructing cell and tissue cleanroom facilities, and its modular cleanroom construction method, to ensure that the facility was highly versatile and space-efficient, yet complied with all the regulatory requirements. The result is a superb, advanced new facility featuring the latest equipment that the customer is delighted with and is proud to show to other research institutes throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.

CLASS II CENTRE FOR BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH AREA
The Centre for Biological Engineering Research Area is one of the key areas in the new Centre for Biological Engineering. A range of laboratories for microbial, animal, and human cell culture research will enable the center’s staff to compete with biological engineers on a global scale. Facilities associated with the Cell Technologies Group (Department of Chemical Engineering) include a range of new culture vessels (from 150ml spinner flasks to conventional 5L Stirred Tank Reactors), a Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) system, fluorescent microscopy, and stateof- the-art analytical equipment all housed within a suite of Class II research laboratories. The aim of the work is to understand the interaction of the cell with the engineering environment for informed scale-up.