A UNIVERSITY of Nottingham medical company has been honoured with a top award for innovation.

RegenTec, led by Professor Kevin Shakesheff and Dr Robin Quirk at BioCity, specialises in regenerative medicine.

It has developed a family of 'scaffolds' which allow human tissue to grow where the body's natural repair processes have failed.

The scaffolds solidify within the body and can be used to support tissue growth to minimise the need for invasive surgery.

Officials say the technology has the potential to revolutionise healthcare by providing permanent replacements for damaged or diseased tissue.

The company was this week honoured at the Medical Futures Innovation Awards 2008 in London.

Prof Shakesheff, the company's scientific director, said the award was recognition of the "dedication of our teams in the university and in Biocity Nottingham".

He said: "We believe our technology will be used throughout the world to make orthopaedic surgery quicker, cheaper and more effective."