Karina Wright

Biography

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 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

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

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)

Publications

Publications

Publications

• Wright KT, El Masri W, Osman A, Chowdhury J, Johnson WEB. Bone marrow for the treatment of spinal cord injury: mechanisms and clinical application. (2011) Stem Cells, Volume 29, 169-178.
• Wright KT, Seabright RJ, Logan A, Lilly AJ, Khanim F, Bunce CM, Johnson WEB. Extracellular Nm23H1 stimulates neurite outgrowth from dorsal root ganglia neurons in vitro independently of nerve growth factor supplementation or its nucleoside diphosphate kinase activity. (2010). Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 398, 79-85.
• Walter MN, Wright KT, Fuller HR, MacNeil S, Johnson WEB. Mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium accelerates skin wound healing: an in vitro study of fibroblast and keratinocyte scratch assays. (2010) Experimental Cell Research, Volume 316, Number 7; 1271-1281. 

• Wright KT, Griffiths G, Johnson WEB. A comparison of industrial high content analysis versus research-based manual analysis to assay the effects of mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium on neurite outgrowth in vitro. (2010) Journal of Biomolecular Screening, Volume 15, Issue 5; 576-582.
• Bajada S, Marshall MJ, Wright KT, Richardson JB, Johnson WEB. Decreased osteogenesis, increased cell senescence and elevated dickkopf-1 secretion in human fracture non union stromal cells. (2009) Bone. Volume 45, Issue 4; 726-735.
• Wright KT, Griffiths G, Johnson WEB. A comparison of industrial high content analyses versus research lab-based methods to assay the effects of mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium on neurite outgrowth in vitro. Abstract (2009) Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Volume 23, Number 9, Page 984.
• Chamberlain G, Wright KT, Rot A, Ashton BA, Middleton J. Murine mesenchymal stem cells exhibit a restricted repertoire of functional chemokine receptors: comparison with human. (2008) PLoS ONE, Volume 3; 1-6.
• Wright KT, El Masri W, Osman A, Roberts S, Trivedi J, Ashton BA, Johnson WEB. The cell culture expansion of bone marrow stromal cells from humans with spinal cord injury: implications for future cell transplantation therapy. (2008) Spinal Cord, Volume 46; 811-817.
• Wright KT, El Masri W, Osman A, Roberts S, Ashton BA, Johnson WEB. Bone marrow stromal cells stimulate neurite outgrowth over neural proteoglycans (CSPG), myelin associated glycoprotein and Nogo-A. (2007) Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 354; 559-566.
• Wright KT, Khanim F, Bunce CM, Johnson WEB. The nucleoside diphosphatase kinase, nm23H1, is expressed by human bone marrow stromal cells and stimulates and directs neurite outgrowth in vitro. Abstract (2007) Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Volume 21, Number 6, Page 62.
• Johnson WEB, Sivan S, Wright KT, Eisenstein SM, Maroudas A, Roberts S. Human intevertebral disc cells promote nerve growth over substrata of human intevertebral disc aggrecan. (2006) Spine, Volume 31, Number 11; 1106-1114.
• Wright KT, El Masri W, Osman A, Roberts S, Ashton BA, Johnson WEB. Marrow stromal cells from spinal cord injured patients promote nerve growth and reduce the inhibitory effects of chondroitin sulphated proteoglycans in vitro. Abstract (2006) Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, Volume 29, Number 3, Page 270.

Collaborations and grants awards

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