New biotechnologies are reshaping the landscape of science and medicine.

 

Gene editing, induced pluripotent stem cells and 3D bioprinting allow the modification of living biological tissue in novel and increasingly customised ways.

 

The goal of this project is to understand the likely impact of these ‘biomodifying technologies’ for human health, healthcare and medicine in the UK.

 

In order to do this we will:

 

1. Map the range of clinical applications for which these technologies are currently being developed in the UK.

2. Identify factors that support or inhibit particular applications, including the role of regulatory frameworks, intellectual property rights, funding, technical capacity and infrastructure, risk, and medical need.

3. Examine how different applications are valued: what are the anticipated benefits and how are they assessed? What counts as ‘value’ for patients, manufacturers, hospitals or regulators?

​

​

This work is being led by researchers based at the University of Oxford in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Sussex and the University of York and funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. 

​