Institute for Regeneration and Repair

02/11/2026

What is the future of organ regeneration and repair?

To celebrate Edinburgh Medical School's 300th year, we're bringing together a panel of experts to share their perspectives on the past, present and future of organ transplantation, regeneration and repair. Come along for a night of discussions exploring the evolution of organ transplantation, today's research in organ repair and regeneration, and how we can shape the future of the field.

This free event take will take place next Thursday, 12 November from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at the Institute for Regeneration and Repair, Edinburgh BioQuarter. Book your tickets by Friday, 6 November: https://regeneration-repair.ed.ac.uk/organ-transplantation-regeneration-and-repair-past-present-and-future

30/10/2026

To celebrate four decades of sight-saving research, Sight Research UK are bringing together two exceptional voices in vision science, including IRR's Dr Beth Mills.

Dr Mills will be joined by Professor Annegret Dahlmann-Noor from Moorfields Eye Hospital for a one hour webinar that will spark ideas, share insights, and celebrate the progress shaping the future of eye health.

Dr Mills is working to change the future for people at risk of losing their sight from devastating eye infections. By combining scientific discovery with practical solutions for real-world healthcare, she is helping to bring hope to communities around the world where access to sight-saving treatment is limited.

Book your spot at the webinar: https://regeneration-repair.ed.ac.uk/sight-research-uk-webinar-with-dr-beth-mills

29/10/2026

Looking for a PhD opportunity in regenerative medicine, inflammation or reproductive health?

We have a range of 4 year fully funded projects to choose from (Deadline 16 November).

Apply and view all PhD projects - https://edin.ac/4eAGAOg
Why choose the IRR? https://edin.ac/4zffrsq

29/10/2026

Transplant experts at the IRR and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh will play a key role in a new £5.2 million PERFUSE-UK network, set to revolutionise kidney transplants.

"PERFUSE-UK will enable us to bring much needed innovation to kidney transplantation, supporting more time for decision making around which organs are used and supporting us to develop new ways to enhance the condition and long-term function of donated kidneys for the future..."

- Mr Andrew Sutherland (IRR Group Leader, consultant transplant surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and lead of the Edinburgh Perfusion Facility)

Read more: https://edin.ac/47HWseb

Kidney Research UK | Edinburgh Medical School

20/10/2026

Congratulations to IRR postdoc Alex Hunt who has been named Scottish Microscopist of the Year!

This award celebrates inspirational and outstanding contributions to the Scottish Microscopy community.

Read about Alex and his research: https://edin.ac/4shkHt2

19/10/2026

New target for preventing scarring in chronic liver disease

Researchers have created a detailed liver atlas, identifying more than 600,000 individual cells from 77 patients with chronic liver disease. Using this, the study (led by the Ramachandran lab) identified a group of immune cells that may offer a promising new target for preventing liver scarring.

Summary 🔎: https://edin.ac/47sfVzs
Full paper 📰: https://edin.ac/4ylBJaK

Image of a macrophage, courtesy of Jenni Colquhoun at The Illustrated Lab

08/10/2026

Delayed wound healing improved by targeting signalling molecule

Wound healing is impaired in older individuals, partly due to a persistent increase in immune cells called neutrophils. This study from the Cash lab has found that the signalling molecule CCL3 is responsible for this persistent increase, and targeting it offers therapeutic potential to improve healing.

Image: Microscopy image showing cells within a wound site. There is a reduction in wound neutrophil (yellow) infiltration in wounds treated with CCL3 blocker (right) compared to those without CCL3 blocker (left).

Summary: https://edin.ac/4i9xF8H
Full paper: https://edin.ac/4ziZocN

06/10/2026

IRR researchers have received funding from the Scottish Government to help support the process of turning their ground-breaking research into products and services.

"This funding allows us to take a technology that works in a specialised optics lab and prove it can operate at industrial scale. This will enable us to screen thousands of compounds per day, seeing if any of them can remove the species that cause damage in Parkinson’s disease." - Mathew Horrocks

"This vital funding will allow us to further develop our approach to endometriosis diagnosis by finding out if the hormone signature we have identified can be consistently measured in samples from people with endometriosis at different ages. This will allow us to refine our test to ensure readiness for real-world application, providing a diagnostic solution that benefits a wider population." - Doug Gibson

https://edin.ac/4jI7RSg

30/09/2026

IRR goes to Orkney!
Earlier this month a small team from IRR took our research to Orkney International Science Festival ! Read more about our trip here:

At the beginning of September, postdoctoral researcher Lucy Doyle and Research Engagement Manager Lauren Hockenhull travelled up to Orkney to take part in their annual Science Festival.

25/09/2026

Have you ever wanted to see what goes on inside IRR? Join us tomorrow for Doors Open Day! 👋

Doors Open Day is your chance to take a guided tour of our state-of-the-art buildings (including our purpose-built labs) while learning about our research and meeting some of our researchers. Just head up to the Usher Building where the tour begins! And while you're there, join a tour of the Usher Building or take part in their family-friendly drop-in activities.

Learn more about Doors Open Day at the Edinburgh BioQuarter: https://regeneration-repair.ed.ac.uk/doors-open-day

See you tomorrow!