Versarien plc (LON:VRS) the advanced materials group, has today announced the participation of the Company’s subsidiary, 2-DTech Ltd, in a new project funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council).
The project “2D Materials for Next Generation Healthcare Technologies” (2D-Health) aims to further explore how graphene can improve major health challenges, such as cancer, diabetes and dementia, utilising £5.2m of funding from the EPSRC over the next 5 years. Partners in the project, in addition to 2-DTech, include four major healthcare multinationals and laboratories from across the University of Manchester, spanning physics, chemistry, pharmacy and medicine research.
2D-Health is one of four major research grants awarded as part of the EPSRC Healthcare Technologies scheme, that will develop new technologies to address the health issues of an aging UK population. 2D-Health will aim to utilise the unique properties offered by graphene to develop innovative solutions for specific unmet clinical needs, particularly in wound care and management (relevant to diabetes), tissue rehabilitation by electrical stimulation (relevant to dementia), cell therapeutics (relevant to cardiovascular disease), and immunotherapeutics (relevant to cancer).
Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien Plc, commented: “We are very pleased to be participating in our first graphene project in the biomedical area. Whilst the use of graphene in biomedical applications is at an early stage, the potential to create truly life changing products is enormous. This is another example of us working closely with the University of Manchester and the significant funding being provided by the EPSRC demonstrates the importance they attach to the potential of graphene. Whilst we remain focussed on core technologies and applications for graphene, particularly carbon fibre, we will continue to take advantage of funded longer term opportunities.”
