PhD
Research Assistant
- About
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- Email Address
- f.r.saunders@abdn.ac.uk
- Office Address
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
I studied Biomedical Sciences, specialising in Pharmacology at the University of Aberdeen. I graduated in 2004 with upper second class honours. My honours project was a literature review assessing the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as a potential class of chemopreventative agents for colorectal cancer, supervised by Prof. Heather Wallace. This lead toa PhD studying the role of polyamines in the chemoprevantative actions of NSAIDs in a colorectal cell line models, again supervised by Prof. Heather Wallace, awarded in 2009.
I then move to the Orthopaedic Research group, led by Prof Richard Aspden to work with Dr Jenny Gregory on her MRC New Investigator award investigating bone shape in knee osteoarthritis, first as a Research Assistant and then as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow. I also worked as a Technician and Resaerch Manager within the wider Bone & Musculoskeletal group. I then worked with Prof. Richard Aspden, Dr Jenny Gregory and Dr Rebecca Barr as one of two Post-Docs investigating the life course and bone shape in the hip and spine, funded by the MRC in collaboration with the MRC Unit of Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL.
I then moved to laboratory of Dr Fiona Murray within the IMS to study the role of GPR75 in the pancreas funded by the Wellcome Trust ISSF fund for 6 months. I then returned to the Orthopaedic group for 6 months to complete the MRC funded work before returning to Dr Murray's lab to work on GRP75, funded by the Wellcome Trust for 18 months.
I moved back to the Orthopaedic group to take up the position of Post-Doc on a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Grant, led by Prof. Jon Tobias at the University of Bristol to derive bone phenotypes from 100,000 participant's DXA scans using statistical shape modelling (SSM) aquired as part of the UK BioBank.
I moved to Prof Val Speirs lab in 2023 working on several projects related to breast cancer and developing animal-free culture systems.
Qualifications
- PhD Medicine & Therapeutics2009 - University of Aberdeen
- BSc (hons) Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology)2004 - University of Aberdeen
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: ArticlesHip geometric parameters are associated with radiographic and clinical hip osteoarthritis: findings from a cross-sectional study in UK Biobank
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 31, no. 12, pp. 1627-1635Contributions 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
- Research
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Research Areas
Biomedical Sciences
Current Research
I currently work in the lab of Prof Val Speirs. The lab's main interest is Breast Cancer and in particular understanding the differences between male and female breast cancers. We are also working on developing animal-free culture systems.
I have worked as a Post-Doc on a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Project led by Prof. Jon Tobias, University of Bristol. Partners in this grant are University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Aberdeen, University of Southampton, Cardiff University, University of Oxford and University of Queensland Diamatina Institute.
In this project we were deriving bone phenotypes from DXA scans acquired from 100,000 participants of the UK BioBank. This work was to develop and test statisical shape models of the hips and knees. We then looked at the associations between outcomes such as Osteoarthritis and shape models. GWAS and Mendalian Analysis were also perfomed to investigate genetic associations. We have also derived spine bone shape phenotypes as part of this large-scale project.
Past Research
National Survey of Health and Development - Associations between life course factors and statistical shape models of the hip and spine
Prof Rachel Cooper (Newcastle, fomerly UCL), Prof Rebecca Hardy (Loughborough, formerly UCL), Prof Diana Kuh (Emerita UCL), Dr Stella Muthuri (Fomerly UCL), Dr Rebecca Barr (Dundee, fomerly Aberdeen), Dr Jenny Gregory, Dr Kathryn Martin, Dr Anastasia Pavlova (RGU, formerly Aberdeen), Prof Richard Aspden
Collaborations
AUGMENT Statistical Shape modelling of the UK Biobank imaging cohort - Prof Jon Tobias (Bristol), Prof Tim Cootes (Manchester), Prof Nick Harvey (Southampton)
Dr Katherine Brooke-Wavell, Loughborough University - statistical shape modelling of DXA scans from exercise intervention studies and athletes.
Supervision
2nd Supervisor to Celia Rodriquez Rodriquez with Prof Val Speirs
- Teaching
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Courses
- MT5515 - Basic Research Methods
- Publications
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Page 1 of 1 Results 1 to 49 of 49
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: ArticlesHip geometric parameters are associated with radiographic and clinical hip osteoarthritis: findings from a cross-sectional study in UK Biobank
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 31, no. 12, pp. 1627-1635Contributions 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: ArticlesThe 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: ArticlesA GWAS meta-analysis of alpha angle suggests cam-type morphology may be a specific feature of hip osteoarthritis in older adults
Arthritis & Rheumatology, vol. 75, no. 6, pp. 900-909Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSex difference in OA: Should we blame estrogen?
European Journal of Rheumatology, vol. 1Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDescribing the genetic architecture of hip shape: findings from UK Biobank
Bone Research Society Annual Meeting 2022, pp. OC1.3Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm4.10684
- [ONLINE] Conference Book of Abstracts
Automatic Segmentation of Hip Osteophytes in DXA Scans Using U-Nets
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16443-9_1
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
A novel semi-automated classifier of hip osteoarthritis on DXA images shows expected relationships with clinical outcomes in UK Biobank
Rheumatology, vol. 61, no. 9, pp. 3586–3595Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMachine-learning derived acetabular dysplasia and cam morphology are features of severe hip osteoarthritis: findings from UK Biobank
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, vol. 37, no. 9, pp. 1720-1732Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCam morphology but neither acetabular dysplasia nor pincer morphology is associated with osteophytosis throughout the hip: findings from a cross-sectional study in UK Biobank
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 29, no. 11, pp. 1521-1529Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPredictors of total hip replacement in community based older adults: a cohort study
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 29, no. 8, pp. 1130-1137Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDeriving alpha angle from anterior-posterior dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans: an automated and validated approach
Wellcome open research, vol. 6, no. 60Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMotor development in infancy and spine shape in early old age: findings from a British birth cohort study
Journal of Orthopaedic Research, vol. 38, no. 12, pp. 2740-2748Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSubregional statistical shape modelling identifies lesser trochanter size as a possible risk factor for radiographic hip osteoarthritis, a cross-sectional analysis from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 28, no. 8, pp. 1071-1078Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAge at Onset of Walking in Infancy Is Associated With Hip Shape in Early Old Age
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 455-463Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3627
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12031/3/Ireland_et_al_2019_Journal_of_Bone_and_Mineral_Research.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] https://abdn.pure.elsevier.com/en/en/researchoutput/age-at-onset-of-walking-in-infancy-is-associated-with-hip-shape-in-early-old-age(17e3f63c-be3f-4ec2-9e20-b834f51f7df6).html
Identification of Novel Loci Associated With Hip Shape: A Meta‐Analysis of Genomewide Association Studies
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 241-251Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3605
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/11532/3/Identification_of_Novel_Loci_Associated_With_Hip_Shape_A_Meta_Analysis_of_Genomewide_Association_Studies.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
Osteoarthritis as an organ disease: from the cradle to the grave
European Cells & Materials, vol. 37, pp. 74-87Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.22203/eCM.v037a06
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/11845/1/v037a06.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Investigation of the Relationship Between Susceptibility Loci for Hip Osteoarthritis and Dual X‐Ray Absorptiometry–Derived Hip Shape in a Population‐Based Cohort of Perimenopausal Women
Arthritis & Rheumatology, vol. 70, no. 12, pp. 1984-1993Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAssociations between back pain across adulthood and spine shape in early old age in a British birth cohort
Scientific Reports, vol. 8, 16309Contributions to Journals: ArticlesBody mass index and waist circumference in early adulthood are associated with thoracolumbar spine shape at age 60-64: the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development
PloS ONE, vol. 13, no. 6, e0197570Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPredictors of total hip replacement: Data from the Tasmanian Older Adult Cohort Study
Internal medicine journal, vol. 48, no. Suppl. 4, pp. 11Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.13772
Associations between body mass index across adult life and hip shapes at age 60 to 64: Evidence from the 1946 British birth cohort
Bone, vol. 105, pp. 115-121Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHip Shape as a Predictor of Osteoarthritis Progression in a Prospective Population Cohort
Arthritis Care & Research, vol. 69, no. 10, pp. 1566-1573Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.23166
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/11176/1/acr23166.pdf
Statistical shape modelling of hip and lumbar spine morphology and their relationship in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development
Journal of Anatomy, vol. 231, no. 2, pp. 248-259Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAssociations between BMI across adult life and hip shapes at age 60 to 64: Evidence from the 1946 British birth cohort
World Congress of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International, pp. S86-s87Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2017.02.135
Gender Bias in G Protein-Coupled Receptor Expression in Human Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells
Experimental Biology, 1016.11Contributions to Journals: AbstractsNovel G protein-coupled receptors in Pancreatic Beta cells
Experimental Biology, 1052.1Contributions to Journals: AbstractsThe roles of NHERF-1 and AKT in osteoarthritis
2017 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress, pp. S153-S153Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2017.02.253
Variations in hip shape in individuals entering early old age
World Congress of the Osteoarthritis-Research-Society-International (OARSI) on Osteoarthritis 2016, pp. S246Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2016.01.474
Variations in spine shape with body size, BMD and sex in individuals entering early old age
World Congress of the Osteoarthritis-Research-Society-International (OARSI) on Osteoarthritis 2016, pp. S246-S247Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2016.01.475
Polyamines in Osteoarthritis
World Congress of the Osteoarthritis-Research-Society-International (OARSI) on Osteoarthritis 2015, pp. A87-A88Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2015.02.792
The role of sodium hydrogen exchanger regulatory factor 1 in osteoarthritis
World Congress of the Osteoarthritis-Research-Society-International (OARSI) on Osteoarthritis 2015, pp. A134-A135Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2015.02.866
Biomarkers of Osteoarthritis Progression
World Congress of the Osteoarthritis-Research-Society-International (OARSI) (2013), pp. S78Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2013.02.171
Naproxen causes cytotoxicity and induces changes in polyamine metabolism independent of cyclo-oxygenase expression
Toxicology Research, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 108-115Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c2tx20018j
The Effect of Radiographic Positioning on Active Appearance Modelling of Bilateral Knee Osteoarthritis in the Osteoarthritis Initiative
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 19, no. Supplement 1, pp. S193-194Contributions to Journals: AbstractsTotal synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of an oxazole analogue of tubulysin U
Synlett, vol. 12, no. 12, pp. 1673-1676Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0030-1260806
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
3D human cell culture: a novel system for testing drug toxicity
Toxicology, vol. 278, no. 3, pp. 374-375Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2010.08.138
Medication Use in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) Study
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 18, no. Supplement 2, pp. S253-S253Contributions to Journals: AbstractsOn the natural chemoprevention of cancer.
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, vol. 48, no. 7, pp. 621-626Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2010.03.001
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Potentiation of the cyotoxic effects of natural chemopreventative agents, ellagic acid and quercetin
Toxicology, vol. 262, no. 1, pp. 21Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2009.04.025
Cancer chemoprevention and polyamines
Biological Aspects Of Biogenic Amines, Polyamines And Conjugates. Dandrifosse, G. (ed.). Transworld Research Network, pp. 327-342, 16 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersInvestigating the effects of NSAIDs on the expression of regulatory components of the polyamine pathway
Toxicology, vol. 253, no. 1-3, pp. 22-23Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2008.07.028
Natural and synthetic chemoprevention: The effects on polyamine biosynthesis
Toxicology, vol. 240, no. 3, pp. 156Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2007.06.078
A role for polyamine signalling in chemoprevention
Amino Acids, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. XLIV-XLIVContributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-007-0578-0
Polyamine metabolism and cancer prevention
Biochemical Society Transactions, vol. 35, no. Pt 2, pp. 364-368Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDoes polyamine depletion influence NSAID-induced cytotoxicity in colorectal cancer?
Toxicology, vol. 226, no. 1, pp. 38-39Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2006.05.058