Professor John Hunt, BSc, PhD, DSc. FRSC

Lead for Medical Technologies and Advanced Material, Nottingham Trent University

John’s research focuses on developing breakthrough therapies, devices and technology to repair, replace, augment and in the future regenerate diseased and damaged tissues in humans using material interventions. Understanding the generic science to deliver interventional medical therapies requiring the use of a material (within which cells are also considered as a material).  These will come from an in depth generic first principles approach to understanding and directing the patient’s cellular and molecular mechanisms and responses related to the clinical outcome and efficacy of medical devices, biocompatibility, inflammation and stem cell biology. Tissue engineering processes are developed and applied, addressing the key areas of patient treatments requiring intervention and material implantation; the materials of choice being researched today also include cells and within that, expertise and intellectual property has been created relating to primary cell sourcing, controlling cell function and phenotype through defining and controlling extracellular matrix interactions, angiogenesis, inflammation and tissue regeneration.  From a strong long-lived generic research platform, specific applications and knowledge has been applied to and continue to be developed for musculoskeletal tissues specifically cartilage and bone, visceral and vascular tissues.  John’s research has been funded by the European Commission, HEFCE, BBSRC, MRC and EPSRC as well as by Industry.

 John has been exploring life with a number of artists working with bioart concepts and installations:

Heirloom is a piece of work created with artist Gina Czarnecki. First exhibited in the Medical Museum in Copenhagen May 2016. http://www.museion.ku.dk/heirloom/ Then 1– 8 September 2016: Jikji, The Golden Seed, Cheongju 8 – 12 September 2016 South Korea: Ars Electronica, Linz 11 November 2016 – 5 February 2017: FACT, Liverpool. Genecraft: Art in the Biogenetic Age: Birmingham Open Media, February 22 - May 13 2017. National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan: KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad, Silkeborg, Denmark. Frankenstein Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Leiden, Netherlands, 17 March – 28 October 2018.

Artist John O’Shea was a Wellcome Trust funded artist in residence in his labs http://pigsbladderfootball.com.  Exhibited in many places including AND 2012 http://www.andfestival.org.uk/events/pigs-bladder/. http://www.flickr.com//photos/john0shea/sets/72157631507515738/show/.  

John also worked with Jens Hauser as the technical science hands on consultant helping to keep life in installations for the exhibition Sk-interfaces which showed at the Casino Luxembourg (http://www.casino-luxembourg.lu/en/Agenda/sk-interfaces-Exploding-borders-in-art-technology-and-society) 2010. 

In 2008 when Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture for the exhibition of the Sk-interfaces at FACT John opened his laboratory doors to many of the artists requiring to bring their works to life using laboratory facilities, then he followed the pieces down to FACT and supported their living state throughout the show http://www.fact.co.uk/projects/sk-interfaces.aspx?selection=Exhibition&when=previous

http://www.fact.co.uk/projects/sk-interfaces/the-tissue-culture-art-project-oron-cattes-and-lonat-zurr-victimless-leather.aspx

http://www.fact.co.uk/projects/sk-interfaces/orlan-harlequin-coat.aspx

Hosted http://www.andfestival.org.uk/events/how-to-make-art-in-a-toxic-environment/ during the AND 2013 festival.

Science and Art

Contributor and appearing in The first 3DHD Film Documentary on the Human Body. I-Human 3D Film bought by Sky Movies 2010.

3D Printing the Future Museum of Science and Industry Manchester March 2015 - September 2015 http://www.mosi.org.uk/whats-on/3d-printing-the-future.aspx

3D Printing the Future Science Museum London October 2013-September 2014

London Science Museum online resource film 3D Printing the Future Documentary film https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwx8_TBZ6z_mEnMy3T1YaC28OROc2OEta

Art and Science

Heirloom Public exhibition Medical Museum Copenhagen 04/16-09/16

Host of the Abandon Normal Devices (AND) festival workshop October 2013 http://www.andfestival.org.uk/events/how-to-make-art-in-a-toxic-environment/

John O’Shea with Wellcome Trust funding was an artist in residence with John Hunt http://pigsbladderfootball.com.  Exhibited in many places including AND 2012 http://www.andfestival.org.uk/events/pigs-bladder/. http://www.flickr.com//photos/john0shea/sets/72157631507515738/show/.

Jens Hauser as the technical science hands on consultant helping to keep life in installations for the exhibition Sk-interfaces which showed at the Casino Luxembourg (http://www.casino-luxembourg.lu/en/Agenda/sk-interfaces-Exploding-borders-in-art-technology-and-society) 2010.

2008 when Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture for the exhibition of the Sk-interfaces at FACT John collaborated with many of the artists requiring to bring their works to life using laboratory facilities, then he followed the pieces down to FACT and supported their living state throughout the show  http://www.fact.co.uk/projects/sk-interfaces.aspx?selection=Exhibition&when=previous

2008 Sk-interfaces at FACT http://www.fact.co.uk/projects/sk-interfaces/the-tissue-culture-art-project-oron-cattes-and-lonat-zurr-victimless-leather.aspx

2008 Sk-interfaces at FACT http://www.fact.co.uk/projects/sk-interfaces/orlan-harlequin-coat.aspx