ISTM

Research Career

2006 - present:  Research  Fellow and Acting Head of Rheumatology Research Laboratory, Institute for Science & Technology in Medicine at RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, UK. 

2002 – 2005: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, UK. Investigation into role of an immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecule nectin-1 in palatal shelf fusion and desmosome assembly.

2000, December- 2002:  Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cell and Molecular Biology Group, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales. Investigation into role of Angiopoietin-1/Tie-2 system in pericyte survival and recruitment in diabetic retinopathy.

2000, February – 2000, November:  Postdoctoral Research Associate, Biophysics Group, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales. Studying the biophysics of corneal transparency under varying ambient anion concentration.

Research interests:

•     Role of heparan sulphate proteoglycan syndecan-3 in inflammation.

Heparan sulphate proteoglycans (HSPG) form part of the glycocalyx which comprises a network of membrane-bound proteoglycans and glycoproteins at the cell surface of endothelial cells. We show that syndecan-3 appears to play a dual role in inflammation depending on the tissue. In the joint it is pro-inflammatory since its deletion leads to reduced leukocyte recruitment and the severity of arthritis. However, in the skin and cremaster it is anti-inflammatory since its deletion leads to enhanced leukocyte interaction with the endothelium and recruitment. This is the first study to show a role for sdc-3 in inflammation and reveals its function is tissue-selective.

<

Reduced chemokine presentation by synovial endothelial cells. CXCL1 emerged as variously-sized granules within the synovial endothelial cells (arrows show examples) (A) and no CXCL1 granules were present in the endothelial cells of controls (arrows)(B). 

•   Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells in rheumatoid arthritis.

ISTM Research theme: Bioengineering & Therapeutics

MSc  Cell & Tissue Engineering - Human Anatomy and Physiology Module (Musculoskeletal component).

Research Funding:

Arthritis Research UK - equipment grant (Wright K., Cartwright A., Kehoe O., Mennan C., Richardson J., Roberts S., Turner S., Wright H.)
£100,000  December 2012
'BD FACSVerse Flow Cytometer (3 Laser 4-2-2)' 

Oswestry Rheumatology Association - consumables for MSCs project
£7,500  December 2012

The EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine – Research grant(with Professor Alicia El  Haj and Professor James Richardson)
£119,510  September 2011
'Establishing stem cell population with consistent and reproducible therapeutic  behaviours' 

Institute of Orthopaedics Ltd, Oswestry - research grant
£50,000 May 2011
'The Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Rheumatoid  Arthritis'.