Karina Wright

Biography

I commenced my PhD studies at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry in 2005, and in 2009, was awarded my PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Keele University. Since then I have been employed as a Senior Lecturer/Lecturer/Research Fellow/Research Associate in the School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering (formerly the Institute for Science & Technology in Medicine), Keele University.

Research and scholarship

Research theme: Regenerative medicine

My laboratory group at the RJAH develops biological therapies for orthopaedic and spinal cord injury patients. Our research transcends the bench to bedside translational pipeline, from in vitro analyses, organ-on-a-chip systems, pre-clinical models, clinical trials and finally NICE approved treatments. We are equally interested in learning from bedside to bench through reverse translational research, by collecting and analysing human cells and tissues and relating biological profiles to clinical outcomes in an effort to refine, tailor and develop novel treatments.

Teaching

I am currently a BSc module lead in Applied Regenerative Medicine with the School of Life Sciences and an MSc module lead in Bioreactors and Growth Environments with the School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering (the latter is delivered as an online post-graduate course, nationally and internationally).

Further information

PhD Students

• John Garcia (Lead Supervisor 2013-2016)
• Shiraz Ziya (Lead Supervisor 2014-2018)
• Jingsong Wang (Lead Supervisor 2017-2020)
• Mateus Bernardo Harrington (Lead Supervisor 2018-present)
• Lauren Tierney (Lead Supervisor 2019-present)
• Larissa Rix (Lead Supervisor 2019-present)
• Tian Lan (Lead Supervisor 2020-present)
• Jessica Fisher Stokes (Lead Supervisor 2021-present)
• Soukaina Bahsoun (Co-supervisor 2016-2017)
• Jessica Sykes (Co-supervisor 2016-2019)
• Tim Hopkins (Co-supervisor 2016-2020)
• Amy Byrne (Co-supervisor 2016-2017)
• Rebecca Davies (Co-Supervisor 2018-present)

Equipment

• BD FACS canto II flow cytometer (Arthritis Research UK Equipment Grant – PI)
• Cell IQ II Live Cell Imaging Platform (Institute of Orthopaedics Equipment Grant – Co-I)
• Quantum Hollow Fibre Bioreactor (MRC Biomedical Catalyst Grant - PI)

Funding

• Versus Arthritis Project Grant (PI)
• Medical Research Council Biomedical Catalyst Grant (PI)
• Versus Arthritis Tissue Engineering Centre (Co-I)
• Medical Research Council Experimental Medicine Grant (Co-I)
• Medical Research Council DPFS Grant (Co-I)
• Institute of Orthopaedics and Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries (PI)

Team members

• Dr Charlotte Hulme (Post-Doctoral Research Associate FT)
• Dr Claire Mennan (Post-Doctoral Research Associate FT)
• Dr Helen McCarthy (Post-Doctoral Research Associate PT)
• Dr Tim Hopkins (Post-Doctoral Research Associate FT)
• Dr Jade Perry (Post-Doctoral Research Associate PT)
• Mike Williams (Data Analyst PT)

Collaborations and grants awards

Collaborators

• Professor Sally Roberts
   Director of Spinal Research
   RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital

• Professor James Richardson
   Professor of Orthopaedic and Traumatic Surgery
   RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital

• Dr Eustace Johnson
   Professor of Stem Cells and Regenerative Biology
   Senior Faculty Postgraduate Research Tutor Faculty Research Co-ordinator Biological Sciences
   Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Life Sciences
   University of Chester

• Dr Gareth Griffiths
   Director of Science
   Imagenbiotech
   University of Manchester

• Wagih S El Masry
   Consultant Surgeon in Spinal Injuries
   Former President of International Spinal Cord Society (ISCOS)
   RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital

• Aheed Osman
   Consultant Surgeon in Spinal Injuries
   Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries
   RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital

• J Roy Chowdhury
   Consultant in Spinal Injuries & Rehabilitation Medicine
   Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries
   RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital