Prof Martin Knight

Name: Martin Knight

Institution: Queen Mary university of London

Theme or Role: Biomechanics and Mechanobiology

Contact: m.m.knight@qmul.ac.uk

Brief biography: I am a Professor of Mechanobiology at the Institute of Bioengineering and School of Engineering and Materials Science at Queen Mary University of London. Queen Mary University of London in association with Bart and the Royal London NHS Trust has an extensive critical mass of researchers working in OA. I have a long-standing track record in multidisciplinary biomechanics and mechanobiology related particularly to articular cartilage and osteoarthritis. In the last 15 years I have secured funding of over £3M specifically in this area of musculoskeletal biomechanics and mechanobiology. Examples include an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship (Mechanical loading bioreactors for cartilage tissue engineering), an EPSRC Platform Grant (Mechanobiology for Tissue Engineering), an MRC project grant (OA may be treated as an environmental ciliopathy) and other related grants from BBSRC, ARUK, AO Foundation, Wellcome Trust and the ERC. During this time I have published over 80 papers in two key areas of biomechanics and mechanobiology, namely cell and tissue biomechanics and mechanosignalling. I am highly collaborative and have multidisciplinary, national and international research collaborations in mechanobiology and OA. I am currently a member of the Senior Executive Team and the overall Director of Research for the School of Engineering and Materials Science. As such I have valuable experience in bringing together multidisciplinary research groupings, engaging with industry and stimulating research activity and funding applications. I have extensive experience in public engagement helping to raise the profile of bioengineering, biomechanics and mechanobiology. My long term goal is to use bioengineering to support the translation of mechanobiology research from concept to clinic, through the development of mechanotherapeutics, diagnostic clinical measurement techniques and organ-on-a-chip mechanobiology model systems for drug discovery. Vision for the OATech+ Network: My top priority would be to bring together the associated UK research community, engaging with clinicians and industry to establish large collaborative multidisciplinary grant applications. I would also like to draw upon my extensive expertise in public engagement to raise the profile of OA biomechanics and mechanobiology and the OAtech network with the general public including school children and patient groups. My long term goal as theme lead would be to translate mechanobiology research from bench to bedside.

As the lead for the biomechanics and mechanobiology theme, we decided to provide funding for 8 pump priming projects with further details on the research outputs page.