![Professor Richard Aspden Professor Richard Aspden](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/ort014/RMA4a.jpg)
CSci, FIPEM
Emeritus Professor
- About
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- Email Address
- r.aspden@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 437445
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
After obtaining a first class honours in Physics from the University of York I moved across the Pennines to do a PhD in Medical Biophysics at the University of Manchester under Professor David W.L. Hukins. I developed methods using x-ray diffraction and polarised light to measure collagen fibril organization in connective tissues. I applied these first to articular cartilage and subsequently used them on tissues such as ligaments, intervertebral disc, meniscus and uterine cervix. In Manchester we used one of the earliest clinical MRI scanners (Picker 0.1 T) to study knees and spines. From this I developed the arch model of the spine to address the question of how a curved, flexible structure can support loads. I was awarded a Wellcome Trust Travelling Fellowship to work with Professor Dick Heinegård in the Department of Physiological Chemistry at the University of Lund, Sweden. There I learnt some biology in order to study how biological and mechanical factors are inter-related. On returning to the UK I moved to Aberdeen and set up the Orthopaedic Research Laboratories. In 1992, I was awarded an MRC Senior Fellowship, and this was renewed in 1997. I was appointed to a personal chair as Professor in Orthopaedic Science in 2000 and became Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedic Science in 2016.
Research results are published in nearly 200 peer-reviewed papers and I have been an investigator on grants awarded for research totalling over £25M from Research Councils, Charities and Industry.
Qualifications
- BA(Hons) Physics1977 - University of York
1st class honours
- PhD Medical Biophysics1981 - University of Manchester
- DSc Musculoskeletal science1997 - University of Aberdeen
From molecules to mechanics: the molecular organisation, mechanical behaviour and biological function of connective tissues.
External Memberships
Member of the Society for Back Pain Research. Honorary Secretary 1993-1995.
Member of the British Society for Matrix Biology (formerly the British Connective Tissue Society.)
Member of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International
Member of the European Society of Biomechanics
Latest Publications
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry derived knee shape may provide a useful imaging biomarker for predicting total knee replacement: findings from a study of 37,843 people in UK Biobank.
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open, vol. 6, no. 2, 100468Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAssociations between life course longitudinal growth and hip shapes at ages 60 to 64 years: evidence from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development
RMD Open, vol. 10, no. 2Contributions to Journals: ArticlesFemoral Neck Width Genetic Risk Score is A Novel Independent Risk Factor for Hip Fractures
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 241–251Contributions to Journals: ArticlesComparison between UK Biobank and Shanghai Changfeng suggests distinct hip morphology may contribute to ethnic differences in the prevalence of hip osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis and CartilageContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2023.10.006
The identification of distinct protective and susceptibility mechanisms for hip osteoarthritis: findings from a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of minimum joint space width and Mendelian randomisation cluster analyses
EBioMedicine, vol. 95, 104759Contributions to Journals: Articles
Prizes and Awards
Wellcome Travelling Fellowship, December 1987.
Medical Research Council Senior Fellowship, October 1992.
Medical Research Council Senior Fellowship, renewed October 1997.
Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, April 1998.
Personal Chair by University of Aberdeen, October 2000.
Chartered Scientist, May 2004.
BackCare Medal 2014, Society for Back Pain Research
- Research
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Research Overview
Some significant findings
Quantifying the organisation of collagen within soft and hard connective tissues using x-ray and neutron diffraction and polarized light microscopy.
Quantified the hypomineralization and hyperplasia of bone in osteoarthritis
Hypothesised that osteoarthritis is not a cartilage disorder but may be a systemic disorder involving lipid metabolism and that hyperplasia of tissues with a mesenchymal origin is a characteristic feature.
We showed that chondrocytes in elderly human articular cartilage do not increase their biosynthetic activity when subjected to cyclic loading although they do increase their expression of mRNA for anabolic factors. This behaviour is not replicated by animal models.
Finite element modelling of the meniscus showed that compressive loading results in the development of strains in the tissue corresponding to the commonly observed pathological tears. The flatter the triangular cross-section the more likely a longitudinal tear hence the increased risk to the postero-medial meniscus.
Statistical shape modelling (SSM) provides a quantitative measure of joint shape and has been used to quantify joint shapes in spines, hips, knees, ankles and feet. We have shown these shapes are associated with developmental and genetic factors and SSM can be used as an imaging biomarker for joint disorders.
Biomechanical models based on an arch and an inverted pendulum can explain how the curved flexible nature of the human spine gives it a mechanical advantage and enables controlled movement.
We each have an intrinsic shape to our lumbar spines, which is detectable throughout flexion and extension. This shape affects the way we lift weights from the floor: those with straight spines prefer to squat to lift while those with curvier spines prefer to stoop
Published papers
My recent publications appear through the University of Aberdeen system but if you want to see what I have published throughout my career then details may be found through ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard_Aspden
or Scopus
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7006543316
or Google Scholar
https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=MKuey98AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Current Research
Statistical shape modelling of DXA images of hips, knees and spines from the UK Biobank, jointly with colleagues from Manchester and Bristol.
Collaborations
Dr Amanda Nelson (University of North Carolina).
Statistical Shape Modelling (SSM) of the Johnstone County osteoarthritis cohort
Professor Jon Tobias (University of Bristol)
Dr Celia Gregson (University of Bristol)
Dr Emma Clark (University of Bristol)
SSM of images from the ALSPAC cohort, a High Bone Mass cohort and most recently the UK Biobank images with Manchester, Southampton and Cardiff.
Professor Diana Kuh (UCL) and the NSHD team
SSM of the DXA images of hips and spines from the National Survey of Health and Development
Professor Graeme Jones (University of Tasmania)
SSM of hips from the TASOAC cohort
Professor Marian Hannan (Harvard University)
US member of a consortium led by Jon Tobias in which we use SSM and perform a GWAS study of numerous osteoarthritis cohorts worldwide for genetic determinants of hip shape
Prof Tim Cootes (University of Manchester)
Working with us and Jon Tobias to develop a high-throughput version of SSM in order to analyse the hip, knee and spine images from 100,000 individuals in the UK Biobank
Professor David Deehan (University of Newcastle)
Measurement of bone properties in the acetabulum in regard to uncemented acetabular replacement
Dr Karen Hind (Durham University)
Spinal injuries in international Rugby players
Professor Alison McGregor, (Imperial College London)
Spinal shape related to disc degeneration
Dr Mandy Plumb (Federation University Australia)
FGF18 and mechanical regulation of articular cartilage
Dr Jude Meakin (University of Exeter)
Spinal biomechanics
Dr Rachel White (University of Central Lancashire)
Regulation of intracellular pH and the role of NHERF1 in cellular proliferation
Supervision
Twenty-one students have successfully completed their PhD studies under my supervision.
Funding and Grants
Currently an investigator on a grant for £1.6M from the Wellcome Trust led by Jon Tobias in Bristol to analyse the UK Biobank DXA images of hips, knees and spines.
- Publications
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Page 2 of 2 Results 101 to 143 of 143
Viscoelastic deformation of articular cartilage during impact loading
Soft matter, vol. 6, no. 20, pp. 5206-5212Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe intrinsic shape of the human lumbar spine in the supine, standing and sitting postures: characterization using an active shape model
Journal of Anatomy, vol. 215, no. 2, pp. 206-211Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01102.x
A comparison of cortical and trabecular bone from C57 Black 6 mice using Raman spectroscopy
Bone, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 899-907Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCholesterol metabolism: the main pathway acting downstream of cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase in skeletal development of the limb
Molecular and Cellular Biology, vol. 29, no. 10, pp. 2716-2729Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/MCB.01638-08
A rare haplotype in the upstream regulatory region of COL1A1 is associated with reduced bone quality and hip fracture
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 448-454Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1359/jbmr.081111
Femoral geometry as a risk factor for osteoporotic hip fracture in men and women
Medical Engineering & Physics, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 1275-1286Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2008.09.002
Osteoarthritis: a problem of growth not decay
Rheumatology, vol. 47, no. 10, pp. 1452-1460Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/ken199
The effect of axial load on the sagittal plane curvature of the upright human spine in vivo
Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 41, no. 13, pp. 2850-2854Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2008.06.035
Nano-fibre critical length depends on shape
Advanced Composites Letters, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 131-133Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCharacterizing the shape of the lumbar spine using an active shape model: reliability and precision of the method
Spine, vol. 33, no. 7, pp. 807-813Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e31816949e6
Impact testing to determine the mechanical properties of articular cartilage in isolation and on bone
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 703-711Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEarly identification of radiographic osteoarthritis of the hip using an active shape model to quantify changes in bone morphometric features: Can hip shape tell us anything about the progression of osteoarthritis?
Arthritis & Rheumatism, vol. 56, no. 11, pp. 3634-3643Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/art.22982
A drop tower for controlled impact testing of biological tissues
Medical Engineering & Physics, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 525-530Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2006.06.002
Measurement of relaxation times in foodstuffs using a one-sided portable magnetic resonance probe
European Food Research and Technology, vol. 222, no. 3-4, pp. 298-301Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-005-0076-0
A mechanism for balancing the human body on the hips
Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 39, no. 9, pp. 1757-1759Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2005.04.028
Bone shape, structure and density as determinants of osteoporotic hip fracture
Investigative Radiology, vol. 40, no. 9, pp. 591-597Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.rli.0000174475.41342.42
NMR detection and one-dimensional imaging using the inhomogeneous magnetic field of a portable single-sided magnet
Journal of Magnetic Resonance, vol. 173, no. 1, pp. 23-28Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmr.2004.11.014
A method for assessment of the shape of the proximal femur and its relationship to osteoporotic hip fracture
Osteoporosis International, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 5-11Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-003-1451-y
Identification of hip fracture patients from radiographs using Fourier analysis of the trabecular structure: a cross-sectional study
BMC Medical Imaging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 4Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA finite element model of an idealized diarthrodial joint to investigate the effects of variation in the mechanical properties of the tissues
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of Engineering in Medicine, vol. 217, no. 5, pp. 341-348Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1243/095441103770802504
Mechanical Testing of Bone Ex Vivo
Bone Research Protocols. Helfrich, M., Ralston, S. (eds.). Springer, pp. 369-379, 11 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-366-6:369
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Impact loading of articular cartilage.
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 10, no. 7Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Biomechanics of osteoporotic bone
Orthopaedic Issues in Osteoporosis. CRC Press, pp. 39-54, 16 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersA COL1A1 Sp1 binding site polymorphism predisposes to osteoporotic fracture by affecting bone density and quality
The Journal of Clinical Investigation, vol. 107, no. 7, pp. 899-907Contributions to Journals: ArticlesImpact loading of human articular cartilage
Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 34, no. SUPPL. 1Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Analysis of trabecular bone structure using fourier transforms and neural networks
IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 289-294Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Connective tissues in health and disease: The Aberdeen experience
Bulletin of the Hospital for Joint Diseases, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 31-36Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
A comparison of the stiffness, density and composition of bone from the calcar femorale and the femoral cortex
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, vol. 9, pp. 661-666Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAn in vitro study of the biomechanical effects of flexible stabilization on the lumbar spine
Spine, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 151-155Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA comparison of methods for measuring trunk list: A simple plumbline is the best
Spine, vol. 21, no. 14, pp. 1667-1670Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCould type X collagen have a mechanical function?
International journal of experimental pathology, vol. 77, no. 6Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Fibre reinforcing by collagen in connective tissues
International journal of experimental pathology, vol. 77, no. 6, pp. A30-A31Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The effects of a single impact load on articular cartilage in vitro
International journal of experimental pathology, vol. 77, no. 6, pp. A37-A38Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The growth of the lumbar vertebral canal
Spine, vol. 19, no. 24, pp. 2770-2773Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-199412150-00006
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Fibre stress and strain in fibre-reinforced composites
Journal of Materials Science, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 1310-1318Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00975081
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Fibre reinforcing by collagen in cartilage and soft connective tissues
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 258, no. 1352, pp. 195-200Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1994.0162
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Nerve traction during correction of knee flexion deformity. A case report and calculation
Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery - British Volume, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 471-473Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
New bone formation in an osteoporotic patient treated by intraosseous injection of bioactive materials; a case report
Cells and Materials, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 337-346Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Measurement of vertebral foraminal dimensions using three-dimensional computerized tomography
Spine, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 629-636Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-199304000-00016
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Breast compression: a preliminary study
Journal of Biomedical Engineering, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 121-126Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-5425(93)90040-6
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Review of the functional anatomy of the spinal ligaments and the lumbar erector spinae muscles
Clinical Anatomy, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 372-387Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.980050504
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Study of tissue compression in breast phantoms: Possible implications for the use of X-ray mammography as a method of imaging breast carcinoma
European Journal of Surgical Oncology, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 538-544Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Unfavorable outcome of recent breast cancer screening trials: Why?
American Journal of Roentgenology, vol. 159, no. 5, pp. 1125-1126Contributions to Journals: Letters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.159.5.1414791
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus