Jan-Herman Kuiper

Biography

Dr Jan-Herman Kuiper was appointed as a Lecturer in Biomechanics at Keele in 2001, but is based at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry. His research training at MSc and PhD level was at the University of Twente and the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. He became a Senior Lecturer in 2017.

He has extensive experience in the use of Finite Element-based computer models for design optimization, modelling of hydrated tissues and bone, and biological processes such as adaptive bone remodelling and fracture repair One of his long standing interests is the control of biological processes through mechanical conditions. Most of his work in this area is concentrated on the control of long bone fracture repair by movements at the fracture site, which he has investigated experimentally and theoretically. Findings from these studies have aided his clinical collaborators including Prof James Richardson and Prof Sally Roberts.

Jan-Herman Kuiper's collaboration with other laboratory based scientists includes joint projects with Prof Alicia El Haj and Prof Ying Yang to control the response of bone cells (osteoblasts) to mechanical strains in order to improve bone formation on resorbable 3-dimensional scaffolds. These studies are supported by substantial joint grants from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council and the European Commission Framework Programme. 

In a collaboration with Dr Carol Evans at Manchester University, Dr Kuiper also receives funding from the AO Foundation in Switzerland to study the influence of fracture site movements on bone formation during limb lengthening.

Other European collaboration includes European Commission Framework VI “New and Emerging Science and Technology” funding in partnership with several European researchers, including Dr Patrick Warnke at the University of Kiel in Germany who has pioneered a clinical procedure to grow a complete new jaw for a patient inside a back muscle. The objective of this new high risk/high benefit "MYJOINT" project is to develop a clinical procedure to grow a complete synovial joint in a patient’s back muscle, similar to the procedure pioneered by Dr Warnke. One of Dr Kuiper's specific tasks is to model the control of articular joint formation by mechanical conditions.  

Summary of previous posts (with dates):

• Lecturer in Biomechanics (Keele University, 2001-2017)
• Post-graduate researcher (Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, 1997-2001)
• Post-graduate researcher (Keele University, 1993-1997)
• Research assistant (University of Nijmegen, 1992-1993)
• Ph.D. student (University of Nijmegen, 1989-1992)
• Research assistant (University of Nijmegen,1988-1989)

Research and scholarship

Research theme: 

All my current work is related to orthopaedics and broadly characterised by two interests.

1. Mechanical guidance of skeletal tissue formation.

Mechanical influences on tissue formation and differentiation, in particular with relation to fracture healing and cartilage repair

2 .Development and pre-clinical testing of joint replacement implants, bioresorbable orthopaedic devices and bone substitution products

Examples are the development and testing of impaction grafting for hip and knee revision surgery, and the development and testing of knee ligament repair systems using a composite bioresorbable materials.

Teaching

Teaching responsibilities:

1. Biomechanics module at MSc courses in Biomedical Engineering and Cell & Tissue Engineering, Keele University

2. Tribology in Joint replacement Implants module at Orthopaedic Science Course, Oswestry

3. Statistics module for postgraduate research students

4. Regular contributions to Friday afternoon teaching sessions, Oswestry

5. Supervision of BSc, MSc and MPhil-students who do placements and final-year projects. On average, seven students visit us yearly from Universities in The Netherlands, Germany and France.

6. Co-supervision of PhD and MD students.

Supervision of orthopaedic registrars doing biomechanical research.

Further information

Dr Kuiper is a reviewer for the EPSRC, several charities and several journals.

He is a member of a Special Interest Group in IPEM (Institute of Physics and Engineering and Medicine), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the European Society of Biomechanics and the British Orthopaedic Research Society.