Nikki Kuiper

Biography

Dr Nikki Kuiper has a biomedical PhD (awarded 1995), enriched with a high-level of experience in musculoskeletal health via academia and a long association with the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic NHS Hospital (RJAH), Oswestry.

Following post-doctoral training in the USA and Manchester, Nikki joined Keele Medical School as a new Lecturer in 2003. In 2008, she was promoted to Senior Lecturer. With awards from charity, industry, and Research Councils UK, Nikki’s research has covered the biology of cartilage and bones, how injured cartilage heals and the development of new strategies to help patients with damaged or diseased joints. She has contributed to well-established regenerative medicine enabling technologies.

In 2018, Nikki experienced a life-threatening illness which led to a significant career break. Following a slow recovery, in 2023, Nikki was awarded a Daphne Jackson Trust research fellowship co-sponsored by Orthopaedic Research UK and the Medical Research Council (https://oruk.org/inaugural-winner-of-the-oruk-daphne-jackson-fellowship/) based at the RJAH (https://oskor.netlify.app/) and hosted by the School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering.

Research and scholarship

Dr Nikki Kuiper has a long-standing interest in musculoskeletal biology & health. Her current research focuses on analysing health data from patients with knee cartilage problems, to find out the period of time from knee surgery to total joint replacement.  Nikki aims to help clinicians predict when and to whom knee cartilage repair may be successfully applied by developing an algorithm and ultimately a digital app to be used in outpatient clinics.

Further information

Key skills:

• Knee cartilage surgeries
• Osteoarthritis
• Technical Programming SQL, R
• BigData Analytics
• Health Data
• Health Statistics

Publications

Sykes JG, Bailey A, Bing AJ, KUIPER NJ, Makwana N, Richardson J, Kuiper JH. Design and psychometric testing of a new patient-reported outcome measure for ankle treatment. Foot (Edinb). 2021 Dec;49:101793. doi: 10.1016/j.foot.2021.101793. Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Hopkins T, Wright KT, KUIPER NJ, Roberts S, Jermin P, Gallacher P, Kuiper JH. An In Vitro System to Study the Effect of Subchondral Bone Health on Articular Cartilage Repair in Humans. Cells. 2021 Jul 27;10(8):1903. doi: 10.3390/cells10081903.

Owida H, KUIPER NJ, Yang Y. Maintenance & acceleration of pericellular matrix formation within 3D cartilage cell culture models. Cartilage 2019 Aug 28

Davies RL & KUIPER NJ. Regenerative medicine: Evolution of autologous chondrocyte implantation therapy. Bioengineering 2019 March 6(1), 22

Owida H, Rutter A, Nguyen Q, Cinque G, KUIPER NJ, Sule-Suso, J, Yang Y.  Vibrational spectroscopic monitoring & biochemical analysis of pericellular matrix formation & maturation in a 3D chondrocyte culture model. Analyst. 2018 Dec 3;143(24):5979-5986.

Owida HA, Yang R, Cen L, KUIPER NJ, Yang Y. Induction of zonal specific cellular morphology & matrix synthesis for biomimetic cartilage regeneration using hybrid scaffolds. J. R. Soc. Interface. 2018 June; 15:20180310

Sykes JG, Kuiper JH, Richardson JB, Wright KT, KUIPER NJ. Impact of human platelet lysate on the expansion & chondrogenic capacity of cultured human chondrocytes for cartilage cell therapy. Eur Cell Mater. 2018 May 1; 35:255-267

Owida HA, Yang Y, Ruiz TH, Dhillon A, KUIPER NJ. Co-culture of chondrons and mesenchymal stromal cells reduces the loss of collagen VI and improves extracellular matrix production. Histochem Cell Biol. 2017 Dec;148(6):625-638.

Sharma A, Rees D, Roberts S, KUIPER NJ. A case study: Glycosaminoglycan profiles of autologous chondrocyte implantation tissue improve as the tissue matures. Knee. 2017 Jan;24(1):149-157.

KUIPER NJ, Sharma A. A detailed quantitative outcome measure of glycosaminoglycans in human articular cartilage for cell therapy & tissue engineering strategies. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015 Dec;23(12):2233-2241.

Dale TP, de Castro A, KUIPER NJ, Parkinson EK, Forsyth NR. Immortalisation with hTERT impacts on sulphated glycosaminoglycan secretion & immunophenotype in a variable & cell specific manner. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 21;10(7):e0133745.

KUIPER NJ, Wang QG, Cartmell SH. A perfusion co-culture bioreactor for osteochondral tissue engineered plugs. J of Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering. 2014 4(2):162-171

Clarkin CE, Allen S, KUIPER NJ, Wheeler BT, Wheeler-Jones CP, Pitsillides AA. Regulation of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase is sufficient to modulate hyaluronan production & release, control sulfated GAG synthesis, & promote chondrogenesis. J Cell Physiol. 2011 Mar;226(3):749-761.

Nguyen BV, Wang QG, KUIPER NJ, El Haj AJ, Thomas CR, Zhang Z. Biomechanical properties of single chondrocytes & chondrons determined by micromanipulation & finite-element modelling. J R Soc Interface. 2010 Dec 6;7(53):1723-1733.

Wang QG, Hughes N, Cartmell SH, KUIPER NJ. The composition of hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering can influence glycosaminoglycan profile. Eur Cell Mater. 2010 Feb 26; 19:86-95.

Wang QG, Nguyen B, Thomas CR, Zhang Z, El Haj AJ, KUIPER NJ. Molecular profiling of single cells in response to mechanical force: comparison of chondrocytes, chondrons & encapsulated chondrocytes. Biomaterials. 2010 Mar;31(7):1619-1625.

Nguyen BV, Wang Q, KUIPER NJ, El Haj AJ, Thomas CR, Zhang Z. Strain-dependent viscoelastic behaviour & rupture force of single chondrocytes & chondrons under compression. Biotechnol Lett. 2009 Jun;31(6):803-809.

Wang QG, Magnay JL, Nguyen B, Thomas CR, Zhang Z, El Haj AJ, KUIPER NJ. Gene expression profiles of dynamically compressed single chondrocytes & chondrons. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Feb 13;379(3):738-742.

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. 2009 Feb 21;256(4):533-546.

Wang QG, El Haj AJ, KUIPER NJ. Glycosaminoglycans in the pericellular matrix of chondrons & chondrocytes. J Anat. 2008 Sep;213(3):266-273.

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

Goodstone NJ et al. Effects of high molecular weight hyaluronan on chondrocytes cultured within a resorbable gelatin sponge. Tissue Engineering 2004 10:621-631.

Goodstone NJ, Hardingham TE. TNF-alpha is a more potent inducer of nitric oxide synthase than interleukin-1 beta in chondrocytes. British J of Rheumatology 2002 41:1-9

Goodstone NJ, Hascall VC, Calabro A. Swarm rat chondrosarcoma cells permeabilized with Staphylococcus aureus alpha hemolysin sustain synthesis of hyaluronan but not chondroitin sulfate. Archives of Biochemistry & Biophysics 1998 350:26-35.

Goodstone NJ et al. Cellular immunity to cartilage aggrecan core protein in patients with rheumatoid arthritis & non-arthritic controls. Ann Rheum Dis. 1996 Jan;55(1):40-6.

Doran MC, Goodstone NJ, Hobbs RN, Ashton BA. Cellular immunity to cartilage link protein in patients with inflammatory arthritis & non-arthritic controls. Ann Rheum Dis. 1995 Jun;54(6):466-70.

Goodstone NJ et al. Responses of T-cells from patients with inflammatory arthritis to human cartilage antigens. Biochem Soc Trans. 1990 Oct;18(5):955.