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. We are currently working on SSM models of the hip and knee with collaboration partners from Bristol and Manchester.
I also provide training and support for the qPCR facility.
Qualifications
- PhD Medicine & Therapeutics2009 - University of Aberdeen
- BSc (hons) Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology)2004 - University of Aberdeen
Internal Memberships
IMS Core Facilities - qPCR
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 ResearchContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jbmr/zjae002
Hip 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- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2023.10.006
- Research
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Research Areas
Biomedical Sciences
Current Research
I am currently 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 are deriving bone phenotypes from DXA scans acquired from 100,000 participants of the UK BioBank. Currently work involves model design, testing and annotation of training images, grading of osteoarthritis features and analysis in the hip and knee. We will also be deriving spine bone shape phenotypes as part of this large-scale project.
Supervision
2nd Superviser to Ron Coutts, MPhil student (P/T) with Dr Flora Groening
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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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: Abstracts