Stem Cell Scientist joins UCS
Feb 18 2010 12:00AM
A stem cell scientist with an interest in healthy ageing and the repair of osteoporotic bones and osteoarthritis cartilage has arrived at University Campus Suffolk (UCS).
Professor Brendon Noble was previously employed at the University of Edinburgh where he led teams of scientists who were developing ways to repair damaged and diseased tissues using cell based therapies. In his previous role he worked with other scientists, fund raisers and government to help develop Scotland’s emerging regenerative medicine industry.
“These are exciting times for medicine”, says Noble, “and I look forward to the development of new therapies and new ways to stay healthy for longer”.
He explains that the good news is that we are all living longer but that during our old age we, rightly, expect to live an active and healthy life. “While my great grandmother threw a rug over her knees and aged gracefully, we now expect to be out and about, cycling, golfing and socialising well into our 80’s, sometimes beyond! That’s a fantastic expectation but in order to do that we will have to make sure that we remain healthy and active for longer and that’s not going to happen by chance, we will need to work at it”.
As well as continuing to develop new therapies for bone and cartilage, Noble’s work at UCS will involve running the School of Health, Science and Social Care. “In the School we are keen to engage with local businesses, hospitals and the general public to discuss ways to improve healthy ageing, right from the point of childhood onwards”.
Amazingly, our health in later years is set both by what we do, by the way of exercise and diet in our later years and what we eat and do as children. The financial cost of keeping an expanding elderly population fit and independent is huge and the personal suffering we go through when we suffer the effects of ageing can be extreme.
Richard Lister, Acting Chief Executive at UCS, welcomed Professor Noble as a significant addition to UCS. “We are delighted to welcome Professor Noble as our new Head of School of Health, Science and Social Care at UCS. He is a distinguished academic with outstanding experience in his field, notably leading programmes in medical research at one of the UK’s most established universities. The appointment of Professor Noble further progresses UCS in its academic development.”
UCS is training the next generation of scientists, nurses, social workers and radiographers and looks forward to contributing to the ‘exciting times’ to which Professor Noble refers.