ResearchTogether: Patients Guiding the Future of Science 2027
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You are invited to attend our free patient-orientated event to share your experiences, whether you are living with or caring for someone with the conditions listed below.
11th February 2027, Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, 53 Edgbaston Park Rd, Birmingham, B15 2RS
EPSRC-SFI Joint Centre for Doctoral Training in Engineered Tissues for Discovery, Industry and Medicine (lifETIME CDT) is a partnership between the University of Glasgow, the University of Birmingham, Aston University and CÚRAM – Science Foundation Ireland.
We aim to develop new human-relevant models, which will be more predictive and ethical, compared to animals commonly used in research, allowing new treatments to be found quicker.
The event will take place at the Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, which is wheelchair accessible, on Thursday 11th February 2027. The event will begin at 09:00 and finish at 17:00, followed by an evening dinner at 19:00. All travel and accommodation will be be organised free of charge, by our organising committee on your behalf.
You can book your tickets here: ResearchTogether 2027 tickets
About the Event
Our ResearchTogether event brings together patients, researchers, clinicians, carers and charities to discuss recent research advancements as well as how to improve research targeting healthcare improvement in the future. The event will focus on conditions relevant to the attendees, bridging the gap between patients and scientists.
In this way, scientists can ensure their research best supports patients, whilst patients can gain insight into the innovative research being carried out for their condition.
Your opinion and experience is hugely invaluable to help us train the new generation of scientists to continue improving healthcare research in the UK.
We welcome all those with experience in a range of conditions:
- Cancer (blood and breast)
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine
- Wound Healing & Tissue Repair
- Healthcare Technologies
- Brain Injury & Neurological Conditions
- Diabetes Research
- Musculoskeltal & Bone Repair
- Heart Tissue Repair
Programme
The programme will include introductions talks about our current research projects as well as talks from patients with lived experiences, charities, and researchers.
There will be a facilitated session to provide you with the opportunity to propose talking points that are of interest to you. These points will then form the basis of a round table discussion that will be openly discussed between all attendees.
Feedback and recommendations expressed during this event will shape our approach to training the future researchers. Once we look through all the feedback, we will let you know how we are planning to incorporate your thoughts and ideas into our future research.
The programme will be available soon.
Dinner and SuperQuiz
We would also like to invite you to our conference dinner that will take place at the Edgbaston Park Hotel.
After a scrumptious three-course dinner, you will put your knowledge to the test in this interactive quiz led by a professional quiz master. Includes a series of fun themed rounds supported by screen graphics, music and sound effects which will have the room filled with excitement, laughter and friendly competition!
Event Location
The event will take place at the Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre which is located on the University of Birmingham campus. The venue is two miles from Birmingham City Centre, with direct train routes to the University station.
Information about the venue is available here and the Google map link can also be found here.
Expenses Policy
The event is an open event, free of charge and expenses will be covered, including accommodation.
We want to ensure that cost is not a factor in participation to achieve a broad reach, we will therefore contribute towards the (reasonable) expenses that you might incur in attending.
All patients will be reimbursed £165 for your time to attend our event.
Please see our Expense Policy here – PPIE Reimbursement Policy.
Funded research grants
EPSRC are a funding body that allow this ground breaking research to continuously develop. Below are the research grants that our scientists are involved with, which will be discussed and referred to during the event.
About the MAINSTREAM Hub
MAINSTREAM is a six-year UK research hub led by the University of Glasgow, with partners at Strathclyde and Nottingham. It aims to make it easier and more affordable to produce large numbers of special repair (stem) cells. The stem cells we focus on are mesenchymal stem cells, from the bone marrow, which can be used to help heal bones and cartilage, support the immune system, and improve cancer treatments.
Why it matters
Stem cell therapies show great promise, but they are difficult to produce in large quantities. Treatments can require tens to hundreds of millions of cells per patient, while widespread NHS use would require billions.
As cells are grown in the lab, they can lose their effectiveness. As a result, although many new clinical trials begin each year, only a few go on to become treatments.
What are we doing?
MAINSTREAM is tackling these challenges by developing:
- New materials to keep cells healthy and effective
- Scalable ways to grow large numbers of cells
- Real-time tools to check cell health during production
- Small lab systems that allow faster testing
- Advanced imaging to spot early problems
This work is guided by clinicians, industry, patients, and the public.
Impact for patients
The hub aims to improve treatments for bone and cartilage repair, transplant rejection, and blood cancers, helping make regenerative medicine more effective, affordable, and widely available.
About StemNiche
StemNiche is a five-year UK research programme led by the University of Glasgow, with partners at Birmingham, Oxford and Strathclyde. It is developing advanced laboratory models of bone marrow to better understand blood cancers and improve treatment.
Why it matters
Bone marrow is vital for producing the blood cells that carry oxygen, fight infection, and help blood clot. Over time, the stem cells that make these blood cells can age and may develop into diseases such as blood cancers.
Bone marrow can also act as a hiding place for cancer cells that spread from other parts of the body. These cells can lie inactive for long periods, avoiding treatment, before becoming active again and causing cancer to return. Why this ‘cancer dormancy’ happens is still not fully understood.
For blood cancer drug discovery, animal models often do not provide reliable prediction of drug efficacy; this leads to drug failing during clinical trials in patients. Making human cell containing models of disease can help us to discover and develop better medicines.
What are we doing?
StemNiche is addressing these challenges by developing:
- Materials that closely mimic the natural bone marrow environment
- Miniature lab systems to study cells and test new drugs
- Advanced imaging to study changes in disease progression and during drug screening
This work is guided by clinicians, industry, patients, and the public.
Impact for patients
This work will help us to provide better models of blood cancers (and cancer dormancy) to Pharma, supporting the development of more effective and targeted treatments.
About Mechanomeds
Mechanomeds is a five-year UK research programme led by the University of Glasgow, with partners at Liverpool and Strathclyde. It is developing new lab models of bone marrow using soft materials and advanced technologies.
Why it matters
As we age, so do our cells – and lifestyle choices, such as smoking, and treatments, such as chemotherapy, can more rapidly age our cells. A result of this cell ageing process can be cancers, such as blood cancers. Blood cancers are often hard to detect early because harmful changes in cells can begin long before current tests can find them. Mechanomeds explores a new approach called mechanobiology, which is how cells respond to physical forces.
Aged cells with a disposition towards cancer and, indeed, cancer cells themselves, can behave differently from healthy ones. For example, they can become “stiffer” and react differently to their surroundings in ways that encourage disease. Understanding these physical changes could help identify cancer much earlier, even before symptoms appear.
What are we doing?
Mechanomeds is addressing this challenge by developing:
- Lab models that recreate the physical environment of bone marrow
- Methods using gentle vibrations to study how different cells respond to forces
- Advanced imaging techniques to measure cell stiffness without damaging the cells
This work is guided by clinicians, industry, patients, and the public.
Impact for patients
This work could help detect blood cancers earlier and support the development of more effective, targeted treatments.
lifETIME CDT, funded by EPSRC
lifETIME CDT graduates will develop multidisciplinary, high-value skills in the design, creation and application of new knowledge to accelerate therapeutic discovery. Along with our industrial, clinical and charitable partners, the lifETIME CDT will build the cohort of talent the sector needs to thrive.
To find out more about the lifETIME CDT research projects, please see our website: https://lifetime-cdt.org/students.
To view the previous 2025 ResearchTogether documents please see below.
Previous 2025 ResearchTogether Programme
2025 ResearchTogether Abstract Booklet
2025 ResearchTogether Accessible Abstract Booklet
2025 ResearchTogether Student Projects Poster