I am a Lecturer in Inflammation Biology at the Keele School of Medicine and Head of Rheumatology Research laboratory in the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Oswestry. I was awarded an MSc in Immunology from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. My PhD in Biochemistry was awarded by the RE Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv.

In my spare time, I enjoy learning new languages, reading and visiting new places. I am a Yoga/Pilates enthusiast.

I commenced my studies at the RJAH in 2005, and in 2009, was awarded a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Keele University. Since then I have been employed as a Lecturer/Research Fellow/Research Associate at the RJAH and am also the current Keele University Stakeholder Governor for the hospital.

My research interests are musculoskeletal injuries, spinal cord injuries and pressure sores, focussing on:

• Understanding their biology and pathology
• Improving their diagnosis and prognosis
• Developing and delivering cell-based therapies

Outside of the laboratory I am a busy mum of four, life doesn’t allow for any other interests!

Dr Charlotte Hulme is a Research Associate within the School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering at Keele University based at the RJAH Hospital. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Manchester in 2011, remaining at Manchester Uni. to undertake her MRC and Manchester Alumni Award funded PhD studentship, investigating placental dysfunction in pregnancies complicated by Diabetes mellitus. In 2015 she worked on the identification of molecules (called biomarkers) that can be used to predict the outcome neurology of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Since then, she has worked on several biomarker projects for orthopaedics (SCI and osteoarthritis (OA) and its’ treatments) and on developing new/optimising existing cell therapies for OA.

Charlotte applies skillsets she developed during her PhD studies to perform a highly specialised technique called proteomics to identify completely novel biomarkers to allow us to better understand the biology underlying patient recovery or their response to surgical interventions and is also assessing the potential of human juvenile chondrocytes (cartilage cells) for use in cell therapies to treat cartilage damage/early-O. Dr Hulme enjoys sharing her work at conferences, including presenting her work to policymakers in the House of Commons.

In her free time Charlotte enjoys socialising , going to music concerts, renovating her home and garden and spending time with her two daughters and their dog.

Dr Claire Mennan holds a PhD in Biosciences from the University of Birmingham, an MSc in Biochemical Engineering, and a PGCE in Further Education. She is a scientist with over 15 years of experience in translational and clinical research, focused on regenerative medicine and musculoskeletal health. 

Based at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH), she has led and supported a wide range of research initiatives, spanning early-stage discovery through to clinical trials. 

Her research has primarily focused on developing advanced cell therapies for musculoskeletal conditions, particularly the use of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Claire has played a central role in trial design, delivery, grant acquisition, and the establishment of infrastructure including securing a major NIHR-funded project. 

Claire now works exclusively with the RJAH Metabolic Bone Unit as a specialist scientist. She collaborates with fellow scientists, clinicians and industry partners on drug trials, data analysis, service evaluations, publications and grant applications, with a focus on osteoporosis. 

Until recently, she was a lecturer at Keele Medical School, where she taught undergraduate medical students. Claire brings a unique blend of clinical, academic and project management expertise, with a strong commitment to research translation, patient involvement and advancing orthopaedic and regenerative medicine. 

Outside of work, Claire lives in Shropshire with her husband, two young children, and a lively household of animals including chickens, ducks, a dog and two cats. 

Dr Sharon Owen is a Research Associate. After starting a family, she returned to education and obtained a BSc in Biochemistry from Liverpool University. In 1997, she embarked on a PhD based in the Charles Salt Centre at the RJAH, under the supervision of Dr Christopher Sharp investigating the biomechanical and biochemical properties of osteoarthritic bone.

Following completion of her PhD Sharon started working on a project investigating the stress response of cells from the intervertebral disc and has been involved in various projects based in the Spinal Studies group with Prof Sally Roberts. In 2014, Sharon was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship enabling her to learn specific microscope techniques to investigate the structural integrity of the human intervertebral disc/vertebral body junction.

Currently, Sharon is working with Dr Heidi Fuller investigating the proteomic profile of cells from different clinical types of Spinal Muscular Atrophy patients.

Sharon has lived in the Oswestry area all her life, and when not at work enjoys spending time with her family, although mostly this time is spent travelling to various sporting venues for football, cricket or tennis games!

Dr Nicola J Kuiper

Senior Research Fellow co-sponsored by Daphne Jackson Trust, Orthopaedic Research UK & Medical Research Council.

I have a biomedical PhD and long-standing expertise in musculoskeletal biology health following post-doctoral training in the USA, Manchester and the RJAH, Oswestry. In 2003, I joined the new Medical School at Keele University where, alongside a teaching career, I rapidly built up my research group with awards from charity, industry, and Research Councils UK. My research 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. I have contributed to well-established regenerative medicine enabling technologies.

Following a life-threatening illness and subsequent career break I returned to research with a re-training senior research fellowship https://oruk.org/inaugural-winner-of-the-oruk-daphne-jackson-fellowship/. My research focuses on analysing health data on patients with knee cartilage problems, to find out the period of time from knee surgery to total joint replacement. I aim to help clinicians predict when and to whom cartilage repair may be successfully applied by developing an algorithm and ultimately a digital app to be used in outpatient clinics.

Key skills:

• Knee cartilage surgeries
• Technical Programming
• Big Data Analytics
• Health Data
• Health Statistics

I did both my first degree (1976) and my doctorate (1996) in the Genetics Department of HaNoi University in Vietnam. Before joining Prof. Morris’ Lab in Wrexham in 1997, I gained research experience in the Netherlands (9 months at Leiden University, 1984), Thailand (3 months at Katsetart University, Bangkok, 1989) and the USA (1 year at Washington University, St Louis, 1994).

I moved to RJAH when the Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease (CIND) was set up in 2004 and have been responsible, since then, for the “CIND Monoclonal Antibody Resource” with support, until recently, from the Muscular Dystrophy Association USA. This Resource sends antibodies over the world for medical research into inherited mobility disorders.

Any spare time is spent reading, listening to folk-songs and growing Vietnamese herbs in the garden.

I was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2017, followed by an MSc in Life Sciences with a specialisation in Cell Engineering from Université de Lorraine, France, in 2019. I began my PhD in Cell and Tissue Engineering at the School of Medicine, Keele University, UK, in 2020, and I am currently in the process of writing up my thesis.

In 2024, I joined Keele University as a Senior Research Technician on a project investigating the potential of T cells isolated from juvenile thymuses for the development of allogeneic therapies for autoimmune conditions. This work was funded by the Orthopaedic Institute. In 2025, I continued at Keele in a similar role on a Pilot Grant project studying cytokines carried by plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) as potential biomarkers for predicting response to TNF inhibitors in psoriatic arthritis. This ongoing research is jointly funded by the Orthopaedic Institute and GRAPPA (Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis). Alongside my academic role, I also work as a Metabolic Laboratory Assistant at RJAH Hospital in Gobowen, UK.

My research interests lie in immunology, rheumatology, and autoimmune disorders, with a particular focus on biomarker identification and the development of biomarker-based therapeutic strategies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.