Claire Clarkin

Dr Claire E Clarkin is Associate Professor in Developmental Biology within Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton and the Chair of Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony Scientific Panel. Claire's research is focussed on how blood vessels and endothelial cells interact with tissues and organs during development, adulthood and disease. More specifically, she is interested in how tissue derived factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor or transforming growth factor β can modulate endothelial cell behaviour. Current lines of research include endothelial cell interactions in bone, during remodelling, osteoporosis and following orthopaedic surgery. Bone is a dynamic tissue that is constantly renewed throughout life; because of this, bone is reliant upon a constant blood supply providing it with oxygen and nutrients. Claire's research thus far indicates that bone-forming cells are a significant source of blood vessel-attracting factors in bone and her long term research aims to identify new drug targets that will permit selective control of bone’s blood supply to allow sufficient support for the process of bone renewal.

Dr Hannah Siddle

Dr Hannah Siddle is a lecturer in Molecular Immunology at University of Southampton. Her lab conducts research on antigen presentation in the immune system, in simple terms, how the immune system distinguishes between healthy cells and tumour cells or infected cells. We focus on a group of molecules called ‘MHC’ that the immune system uses to identify and destroy cells that are cancerous or infected with a pathogen. In our research we primarily study a group of contagious cancers, where tumour cells are able to pass between individuals in a population, causing cancer to spread in a similar way to an infectious disease. There are eight naturally occurring contagious cancers found in a number of species. Using these cancers we aim to develop vaccines that can initiate anti-tumour immune responses.

Professor Mark Cragg

Mark Cragg is Professor of Experimental Cancer Biology in the Cancer Sciences Unit of Southampton University Faculty of Medicine. His research career to date has focused on understanding the means through which current therapeutics function and how they elicit tumour regression with the aim of using this knowledge to augment them. The research is currently focused on two main types of therapeutics – antibodies and small molecule inhibitors. His research involves in-vivo as well as in-vitro methodology, which, along with the use of primary clinical samples, has increased its impact, leading to the translation of several findings into clinical trials. Over the last decade, he has investigated many different therapeutic reagents such as rituximab, bexxar, imatinib, gefitinib, cetuximab and tarceva and has been involved in the development of next generation antibody reagents such as ofatumumab and obinutuzumab, as well as first in class novel antibodies such as BI-1206. Throughout the strategy undertaken is highly translational with iterative cycling between in vitro experiments, appropriate in vivo model systems and primary clinical material. He sits on the advisory board for several charities and has published over 120 research papers.

Professor Andrew Pitsillides

Andrew Pitsillides (AP, Professor of Skeletal Dynamics, RVC), a biologist with ~30yr experience in cellular/molecular skeletal biology, received an Applied Biology BSc. (Hons, 1984) and Special Wellcome Trust Award PhD (Biochemistry, 1988) at the renowned Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology. His work in joint biology continued at UCL (1990-93) where he characterised type B synoviocytes based upon their matrix synthesis. He set-up his own lab in 1995, has now published >120 original articles (h-index 36) and leads a group studying mechanobiology of developing/adult skeletal tissues. He explores responses to mechanical stimuli in diverse biological settings; from adaptive changes in bone morphology in growth, adulthood and ageing to embryo joint formation. He pioneered an in vivo mouse loading model to deliver adjustable loads, non-invasively allowing joint responses to functional/ traumatic load to be examined. He earlier discovered that: nitric oxide release is critical in bone mechano-adaptation with a genetic component linked to growth, joint formation is mechanodependent and that cartilage trauma susceptibility is not always linked to its vulnerability to osteoarthritis, and that the latter is transcriptionally linked to NFkB activation. He disclosed distinct osteocyte/osteoblast inputs in load’s osteogenic output, and joined these to osteoporosis though spatial links to femoral neck bone turnover. Recent work on joint ageing has featured in several press releases.  He is Board Member of the Bloomsbury Centre for Skeletal Research and of the London Matrix Group, Executive Editor of Cell Biochemistry and Function, Executive Committee Member of International Society for Hyaluronan Sciences and Fellow of both The Royal Society of Biology and the Anatomical Society and recently invited F1000 prime Faculty Member in Musculoskeletal Repair & Regeneration. His own research is currently funded by the EU, BBSRC, Welcome Trust, Arthritis Research UK and The Leverhulme Trust.

Dr Helen Owen

Dr Helen Owen gained a PhD from the University of Glasgow whilst based at the Roslin Institute, where she investigated the molecular events surrounding steroid-induced skeletal growth retardation. Following this, Dr Owen moved to the University of Sheffield where she investigated epigenetic biomarkers which were able to predict cancer progression. She has since coordinated research projects both at KU Leuven in Belgium, where she researched the role of epigenetics and autophagy in critical illness-induced bone loss, and at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry where she used genome-wide molecular profiling to identify epigenetic biomarkers associated with inflammation and immune suppression in critically ill patients. Dr Owen is currently a Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University, and coordinates a research track investigating the epigenetic regulation of aberrant cellular behaviour and subsequent skeletal tissue morbidity. She has a particular interest in the role of epigenetics and autophagy in the regulation of osteosarcoma metastasis and chemoresistance.

Mr Kenneth Rankin

Kenneth Rankin graduated in 1999 from the University of Dundee. His basic surgical training was in Newcastle followed by an MD investigating the cellular biology of bone metastases. Mr Rankin’s current post as Consultant includes joint replacement, knee arthroscopic surgery and a developing clinical practice in oncology. Research activities include basic science projects modelling bone cancer, translational studies involving the assessment of biomarkers of joint replacement infection, and bone sarcoma circulating tumour cells.

Dr Steve Shnyder

Following a PhD at University College London on ‘the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in human osteosarcoma’, and a postdoctoral position at Cardiff University where I expanded this work to look at experimental models of the disease, I took on further postdoctoral positions at the University of Bath and University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ where respectively homeobox gene regulation and expression, and the characterisation of a novel reticuloplasmin were the focus of research. I then spent 18 months in a start-up company, Gendel Ltd, in Coleraine from 1999-2000. The focus here was in the development and use of in vitro and in vivo assays for the screening of a novel drug delivery technology, in addition to gaining managerial experience as head of a small team. Since 2000 I have been based at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT, then known as the Cancer Research Unit), University of Bradford where I have held positions as Senior Experimental Officer, Lecturer and currently Senior Lecturer. My main research interests are in the preclinical pharmacology of novel anti-cancer therapeutics sourced from the ICT’s own in-house drug development programmes, and from academic and industrial partners. I have contributed to the screening packages of several novel anti-cancer compounds which have subsequently progressed to clinical trials and beyond, using both cell-based and in vivo technologies. These compounds include vinflunine (Javlor), combretastatin A-1 diphosphate (Oxi4503), combretastatin A-4 phosphate (fosbretabulin), SJG-136, AQ4N (Banoxantrone), and CYT997 (Lexibulin). To date, I have published over 60 research articles in peer reviewed journals or books, 40 of which have appeared in the last 10 years, and I have supervised 10 PhD students to successful completion of their research.

Professor Agamemnon Grigoriadis

Agi Grigoriadis’ research group is interested in understanding the cellular and molecular basis of bone and cartilage development, during embryonic development as well as in adult bone/cartilage remodelling disorders and skeletal neoplasia. Current experiments are focusing on the role of the c-Fos proto-oncogene/AP-1 transcription factor and Rho GTPase signalling in the differentiation, growth control and transformation of osteoblasts, osteoclasts and chondrocytes. Specific aspects include the analysis of cell cycle control, the role of BMPs and FGFs in osteo/chondrogenesis, and bacterial protein toxins as tools to perturb specific signalling pathways in osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Molecular and cellular approaches, including generating functional bone cell populations from embryonic stem cells, are combined with functional gain- and loss-of function studies using transgenic/knock-out animal technology, which will help elucidate the molecular basis of bone/cartilage disorders and skeletal cancers.

Professor Adrienne Flanagan

Adrienne received her medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and undertook her PhD at the University of London in 1990 while she was a Medical Research Council Training Fellow at St George's Hospital Medical School in London. She became a senior lecturer and honorary consultant pathologist at Imperial College London, and later moved to University College London, and now practices clinical pathology at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.  Adrienne was elected as Professor of Musculoskeletal Pathology at UCL’s Cancer Institute in 2004.  Adrienne is the Meeting Secretary of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and a trustee or member of the Sarcoma UK, The Jean Shanks Foundation, and The Chordoma Foundation (USA). Her research interests focus on reclassifying bone and soft tissue tumours using molecular signatures which she then translates into clinical practice, and uses for stratifying patients for treatment. She was the co-lead of the International Cancer Genome Consortium bone tumour project (2010-2015).

In 2017 she became a senior NIHR Fellow, and was awarded the Goudie for her contribution to pathological science and the understanding of disease mechanisms. She was also awarded the William Gerald Award by the Department of Pathology Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in recognition for her contribution to research in caner pathology.