I am a Lecturer in Regenerative Medicine at Keele University. My research group focuses on using ‘omics (transcriptomic, quantitative proteomics and metabolomics) and bioinformatics approaches coupled with biochemical/ molecular biology techniques to address significant questions in orthopaedics.

My group specifically focuses on the role of metabolism in Osteoarthritis and its treatments. This work includes identifying biomarkers for stratification of therapies for cartilage repair/early osteoarthritis and to predict the outcome/severity of spinal cord injury (SCI). I am also highly involved in projects aimed at developing novel allogeneic therapies for the treatment of cartilage defects.

I became a Lecturer in Regenerative Medicine in December 2022, before that having worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in the OsKOR since 2015. From 2020-2022, I was funded on a Medical Research Council Industry Collaboration Grant (MICA) which aims to assess the potential of human chondrocytes from juvenile donor sources for the use in cell therapy approaches aimed at treating cartilage damage/early-OA. These sources include chondrocytes from extra digits surgically removed for the treatment of polydactyly, along with tissue from the iliac apophysis collected from consented patients being treated for hip dysplasia and from young adult amputee donors. This work aims to determine whether these chondrocytes are suitable for large-scale GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) expansion in the QuantumTM bioreactor.

I am also very active in optimising currently offered surgical procedures for early-OA, by identifying biomarkers to predict patient outcome to these surgeries (previously funded by a Versus Arthritis grant). Much of my work utilises skillsets I developed during my PhD studies, at The University of Manchester, by performing proteomics (and other large scale ‘omic approaches) to identify completely novel biomarkers. This includes identifying candidate biomarkers for prediction of outcome following Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, osteotomy and microfracture. I first came joined the OsKOR group in 2015, where I to worked on a project (funded by the Orthopaedic Institute) to identify biomarkers that can be used to predict the outcome neurology of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). I continue to be interested in projects relating to SCI, currently co-supervising a third year PhD student. I also supervise a first year PhD student who is looking at better understanding the science behind how bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) procedures work and also on stratifying patients for this treatment in the ankle (funded by the Orthopaedic Institute).