Tina Dale

Biography

Dr Tina Dale has multidisciplinary background having completed a Joint Hons degree in Biochemistry and Biological and Medicinal Chemistry. This was followed by an MSc in Cell and Tissue Engineering and an EPSRC funded PhD within the Keele/Loughborough/Nottingham Centre for Doctoral Training in Regenerative medicine exploring the suitability of different cell types for cartilage tissue engineering.

Following her doctoral studies, Dr Dale continued at Keele as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Professor Nick Forsyth, contributing to multiple projects investigating lung tissue engineering and the cellular mechanisms underpinning chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma. Her work has focused on the isolation and characterisation of primary and stem cell populations, studying how physiological and pathological oxygen levels influence their function and differentiation potential.

Beyond respiratory research, Dr Dale has also applied her expertise to musculoskeletal and metabolic models, including tendon repair and diabetes-related cell therapies. In 2023, she was appointed Lecturer at Keele University where she continues to pursue interdisciplinary research in tissue engineering and translational cell biology.

Research and scholarship

My research spans the interdisciplinary landscape of regenerative medicine and bioengineering, with a particular focus on developing advanced in vitro models to study both normal and aberrant respiratory biology. In the pulmonary field, I investigate how lung stem and progenitor cells differentiate under healthy and disease conditions, and how environmental factors such as oxygen availability influence these processes. I am especially interested in how altered oxygenation affects cell fate decisions and epithelial function—particularly mucin production and structure—which are critical for airway protection and closely linked to the pathology of chronic respiratory diseases. By creating physiologically relevant models of the lung environment, my work aims to improve understanding of disease mechanisms in conditions such as asthma and COPD and to identify potential targets for future therapeutic intervention.

In parallel, I develop musculoskeletal tissue models, previously focusing on tendon and cartilage systems. These bioengineered constructs are designed to replicate the complex biochemical and mechanical cues present in native tissues, supporting the generation of more mature and functional engineered tissues. Through the application of precisely controlled stimuli—such as dynamic mechanical loading using bioreactors and targeted biochemical signalling—I aim to guide cell behaviour, matrix organisation, and tissue development in ways that closely mimic natural regenerative processes.

Teaching

Year Tutor, level 5 BSc. Bioengineering (Regenerative Medicine)

I contribute across the undergraduate BSc. Bioengineering (Regenerative Medicine) and Postgraduate MSc. Medical Engineering Cell and Tissue Engineering programmes:

Current module manager and teaching lead

• Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) – level 6

Teaching contributions to modules

• Fundamentals of Bioengineering – level 4
• Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine – level 5
• Applied Regenerative Medicine – level 6
• Bioreactors and Growth Environments – level 6
• Cell and Tissue Engineering – level 7
• Disease Modelling and Therapy for Regenerative Medicine – level 7
• Stem Cells: Types, Characteristics and Applications – level 7

I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects.

Supervision

Lead Supervision

Ms Seyma Sereflioglu, Bio-activated nanofibers scaffolds integrated with advanced drug delivery systems for tendon treatments

Ms Vera Citro, Nano-delivery to enhance stem-cell/synthetic hybrid-based tendon regeneration protocol

Dr Marta Clerici, Extracellular vesicles, an intelligent stem cell delivery strategy for tendon therapeutic application

Dr Florencia Diaz, Novel porous natural-origin polymeric patches for rotator cuff tendon repair

Co-supervision

Dr Thirapurasundari Vikranth, Characterising porcine pleura as decellularized bioscaffolds for applications in tissue engineering

Dr Fatma Dogan, Determining the role of epigenetics in telomerase regulation