Dr Nikki Kuiper (nee Goodstone)

Profile

In 1991, Nikki obtained a BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology from Liverpool John Moore’s University. She carried out her PhD studies at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, and in 1995, was awarded her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Manchester University. After spending 2 years as a Research Fellow at The Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic foundation, USA, Nikki returned to the UK to spend a further 2 years as a Research Associate at The Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, The Medical School, Manchester University. Before joining the teaching staff at Keele as a lecturer in biomedical sciences in 2003, Nikki spent a further 3 years as a joint appointment between the Institute for Science & Technology in Medicine, Keele University and the RJAH Hospital, Oswestry. Nikki was appointed to senior lecturer in 2008.

Research Team

• Mr Lindsay Wood PhD student
• Mr Eric Wang PhD student
• Dr Nesta Hughes Research Fellow

Research Funding

• EPSRC
• Smith & Nephew (Orthopaedics)
• Keele Medical School-funded PhD scholarship
• Private charity

Research Interests:

· Biology & pathology of articular cartilage

· Cell-based therapies for cartilage repair

· Characterisation of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans of articular cartilage
 

Sections of H&E stained articular cartilage from the medial femoral condyle of (A) a 30 yr-old and (B) a 50 yr-old. The arrows indicate chondrocyte clusters.  The bars represent 25mm.

Recent Publications:

Wang QG, Magnay JL, Nguyen B, Thomas CR, Zhang Z, El Haj AJ & Kuiper NJ. Gene expression profiles of dynamically compressed single chondrocytes and chondrons. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. in press

B Nguyen, Wang QG, Kuiper NJ, El Haj AJ, Thomas CR & Zhang Z. Strain-dependent viscoelastic behaviour and rupture force of single chondrocytes and chondrons under compression Biotechnol Letts in press

Wang QG, El Haj AJ, Kuiper NJ (2008) Glycosaminoglycans in the pericellular matrix of chondrons and chondrocytes. J Anat. 213(3):266-73

Kuiper N, Gabrielle N, Griffiths S & Tew S. (2008) BSMB Autumn 2007 Meeting Report International J  Exp Path.  89(3):A1-A29

Whittaker RJ, Booth R, Dyson R, Bailey C, Parsons Chini L, Naire S, Payvandi S, Rong Z, Woollard H, Cummings LJ, Waters SL, Mawasse L, Chaudhuri JB, Ellis MJ, Michael V, Kuiper NJ, Cartmell S. Mathematical modelling of fibre-enhanced perfusion inside a tissue-engineering bioreactor. J Theor Biol. in press

Sharma A, Wood LD, Richardson JB, Roberts S & Kuiper NJ (2007) Glycosaminoglycan profiles of repair tissue formed following autologous chondrocyte implantation differ from control cartilage. Arthritis Res Ther. 9(4):R79

Goodstone N, Cartwright A & Ashton B (2004) Effects of high molecular weight hyaluronan on chondrocytes cultured within a resorbable gelatin sponge. Tissue Engineering. 10: 621-631.

Bailey A, Goodstone NJ, Roberts S, Hughes J, Roberts S, van Niekerk L, Richardson J & Rees D (2003) Rehabilitation after Oswestry Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation: The OsCell Protocol. J Sport Rehab. 12:104-118

Goodstone, N.J. & Hardingham, T.E. (2002) Tumour necrosis factor alpha is a more potent inducer of nitric oxide synthase than interleukin-1 beta in articular chondrocytes. B J Rheum. 41:1-9

Goodstone, N.J., Hascall V.C. & Calabro, A. (1998) Swarm rat chondrosarcoma cells permeabilized with Staphylococcus aureus alpha hemolysin sustain synthesis of hyaluronan but not chondroitin sulfate. Arch Biochem Biophys. 350:26-35