Nature is the prime example of complex and sophisticated manufacturing. The human body is constructed by cells and support matrices where a variety of biomolecules perform complex functions in development, normal function and regeneration. This delicate balance is disturbed in disease or trauma and confounded by the body's declining regenerative capacity with increasing age. Organ transplantation has saved many lives and millions of pounds to the NHS, however every day 4 people in the UK die while on the waiting list. Those fortunate to receive organ transplants require immunosuppressant drugs, making them prone to infection and increased risk of cancer. There is a dire need for artificially engineered organs and tissue grafts, that engraft successfully on implantation without the need for immunosuppression. Furthermore, cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death globally. This is caused by problems with the heart or the circulatory system. Transformative solutions are required to meet the rising unmet clinical need for organ transplantation and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this project is to develop an adventurous manufacturing workflow to recreate the structural and cellular complexity of blood vessels by employing novel manufacturing strategies. The project combines advanced materials, 3D printing and advanced imaging to provide transformative solutions to key healthcare challenges facing our aging society. This project will address the growing demand for functional tissue grafts and organs for transplantation and drug discovery. To date, a major hurdle in engineering artificial tissue has been the inability to reproduce the blood vessel micro- and macro-architecture. Our novel manufacturing research idea is to develop a complex and sophisticated fluid delivery system, with a 3D printer to recreate blood vessels in the laboratory. Our research will enable the rapid production of blood vessels from small (width of hair) to large (centimetres) sizes, and harness advanced biomaterials, designed to change from solution to gel by mixing in the fluid delivery system, to achieve this goal.

Biofabrication techniques are used to process natural and synthetic biomaterials, for example including cells, proteins and drugs, in order to create living, tissue engineered structures. These structures are being used to research the development of new drugs and cell-based therapies for a wide range of medical conditions. This research proposal focuses on a new 3D printing technique called Reactive Jet Impingement (ReJI) which can be used for biofabrication. The ReJI technique has some advantages over existing techniques in terms of the number of cells it can deposit within a certain volume, and in terms of the range of the materials and shapes which it can print on. The research programme will focus on three things: (i) Improving the technology, by developing a computational model of the process to support and inform experimental studies, and through scaling up the technology in terms of print capability. (ii) Extending the range of materials which can be processed using the technology. (iii) Applying the technology to the development of clinically relevant tissue models for two selected application areas in drug testing for liver cancer and cardiac tissue engineering.

The current global fashion supply chain is characterised by its lack of transparency, forced labour, poor working conditions, unequal power relationships and overproduction caused by fast fashion. Lacking ethics, the global fashion supply chain is also highly polluting. The total footprint of clothing in use in the UK, including global and territorial emissions, was 26.2 million tonnes CO2 in 2016, up from 24 million tonnes in 2012 (equivalent to over a third of household transport emissions). The Textiles Circularity Centre (TCC) proposes materials security for the UK by circularising resource flows of textiles. This will stimulate innovation and economic growth in the UK textile manufacturing, SME apparel and creative technology sectors, whilst reducing reliance on imported and environmentally and ethically impactful materials, and diversifying supply chains. The TCC will provide underpinning research understanding to enable the transition to a more circular economy that supports the brand 'designed and made in the UK'. To enact this vision, we will catalyse growth in the fashion and textiles sector by supporting the SME fashion-apparel community with innovations in materials and product manufacturing, access to circular materials through supply chain design, and consumer experiences. Central to our approach is to enable consumers to be agents of change by engaging them in new cultures of consumption. We will effect a symbiosis between novel materials manufacturing and agentive consumer experiences through a supply chain design comprised of innovative business models and digital tools. Using lab-proven biotechnology, we will transform bio-based waste-derived feedstock (post-consumer textiles, crop residues, municipal solid waste) into renewable polymers, fibres and flexible textile materials, as part of a CE transition strategy to replace imported cotton, wood pulp and synthetic polyester fibres and petrochemical finishes. We will innovate advanced manufacturing techniques that link biorefining of organic waste, 3D weaving, robotics and additive manufacturing to circular design and produce flexible continuous textiles and three-dimensional textile forms for apparel products. These techniques will enable manufacturing hubs to be located on the high street or in local communities, and will support SME apparel brands and retailers to offer on-site/on-demand manufacture of products for local customisation. These hubs would generate regional cultural and social benefits through business and related skills development. We will design a transparent supply chain for these textiles through industrial symbiosis between waste management, farming, bio-refinery, textile production, SME apparel brands, and consumer stakeholders. Apparel brands will access this supply chain through our digital 'Biomaterials Platform', through which they can access the materials and data on their provenance, properties, circularity, and life cycle extension strategies. Working with SME apparel brands, we will develop an in-store Configurator and novel affective and creative technologies to engage consumers in digitally immersive experiences and services that amplify couplings between the resource flow, human well being and satisfaction, thus creating a new culture of consumption. This dematerialisation approach will necessitate innovation in business models that add value to the apparel, in order to counter overproduction and detachment. Consumers will become key nodes in the circular value chain, enabling responsible and personalised engagement. As a human-centred design led centre, TCC is uniquely placed to generate these innovations that will catalyse significant business and skills growth in UK textile manufacturing, SME fashion-apparel, and creative technology sectors, and drastically reduce waste and carbon emissions, and environmental and ethical impacts for the textiles sector.