UK Hub for Stem Cell Manufacturing
Mechanobiology, imaging, and biofabrication to make stem-cell therapies reliable at scale
Dependable stem-cell therapies
MAINSTREAM is a six-year UK hub led by the University of Glasgow, with Strathclyde and Nottingham, to make it practical and affordable to grow mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (repair cells that can help bone healing, calm immune reactions, and support blood-cancer treatment) at scale.
It is backed by £11m from EPSRC plus £1.5m from partners.
Pioneering science with real-world impact
The team will recreate body-like environments so these cells keep their useful traits, then scale production using advanced materials, bioreactors, and real-time monitoring, including approaches like 3D printing for future manufacturing.
This tackles known bottlenecks in stem cell growth and quality control.
Mainstream is a collaboration between three world-class academic institutions and the UK National Health Service.
