A new £4m project will bring doctors and scientists together in a bid to find new ways to repair damaged organs.

The Edinburgh University led collaboration seeks to better understand the environment in which stem cells grow in the body, known as the niche.

Experts will use their findings to design new therapies that mimic this environment, in order to stimulate repair mechanisms in tissues damaged by disease or injury.

Professor Stuart Forbes, project lead, said: "We're bringing together a research network of regenerative biologists, tissue engineers and clinician scientists in order to understand why the niche environment does not always allow cells to grow and repair damaged tissues.

"We hope to develop novel treatments to promote the regeneration of tissues and organs."

The UK's Medical Research Council (MRC) is among the bodies financing the project, called the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP)-Engineered Cell Environment Hub.

MRC chief science officer Dr Rob Buckle said: "Regenerative medicine holds enormous potential for delivering the treatments and cures of tomorrow.

"The UKRMP has been pivotal in bringing together and supporting the interdisciplinary science required to tackle the key bottlenecks in the field.

"Great strides have been made so far and this second tranche of UKRMP funding will enable the UK to continue to lead the way to new understanding, treatments and therapies."