Newcastle University

Lecturer in orthopaedic surgery with special interests in the basic science of musculoskeletal oncology and the function of chondrocytes in osteoarthritis

I am based at the Musculoskeletal Research Group (MRG) which is a part of the Institute of Cellular Medicine. 

The musculoskeletal oncology research focusses on the hypoxic control of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase in osteosarcoma. Collaboration is with Dr Swethajit Biswas, Mr Craig Gerrand and Professor John Lunec at the Northern Institute for Cancer Research and Dr Mark Birch at the MRG.

Funding for this has been generously provided by 

Northern Orthopaedic Research Charity

JGWP Foundation Trust

Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity 

I collaborate with fellow researchers in the MRG contributing to projects involving the functional analysis of novel osteoarthritis genes with Professor John Loughlin and the role of microRNAs in osteoarthritis with Dr David Young.

Co-ordinator of the Northern Deanery postgraduate orthopaedic basic science term, Sept-Dec 2010

Principal supervisor of MRes student Feb-Jul 2011 

Co-ordinator of the orthopaedic component of the undergraduate  foundations of clinical practice (FoCP) programme, Nov-Dec 2011

Co-supervisor with Prof Loughlin and Dr Reynard of a William Harker Studentship for the 'Functional analysis of novel genes in osteoarthritis' 2012-2016 

• Rankin KS, Starkey M, Lunec J, Gerrand CH, Murphy S, Biswas S. Of Dogs and Men: Comparative Biology as a Tool for the Discovery of Novel Biomarkers and Drug Development Targets in osteosarcoma. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 2011, (epub ahead of print).
• Rankin KS, Lakey RL, Gerrand CH, Sprowson AP, McCaskie AW, Birch MA. A Novel in Vitro Model to Investigate Behavior of Articular Chondrocytes in Osteoarthritis. Journal of Rheumatology 2010, 37(2), 426-431.
• Sprowson AP, Rankin K, Shand JE, Ferrier G. Common peroneal and posterior tibial nerve damage, a rare cause. Foot and Ankle Surgery 2010, 16(2), 16-17.
• Rankin KS, Lakey RL, Gerrand CH, Sprowson AP, McCaskie AW, Birch MA. A novel in vitro model of osteoarthritis facilitates improved understanding of human articular chondrocyte behaviour. In: Calcified Tissue International: Abstracts Presented at the Bone Research Society Meeting. 2008, Manchester, UK: Springer New York LLC.
• Rankin KS, Gerrand CH, Lakey RL, Sprowson AP, McCaskie AW, Birch MA. Hypoxia facilitates bone invasion by increasing breast cancer cell expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1. In: Calcified Tissue International: Abstracts Presented at the Bone Research Society Meeting. 2008, Manchester, UK: Springer New York LLC.
• Mahadeva D, Rankin KS, Muller SD. Skin moisturisers and surgical site preparation: a slippery problem?. Journal of Hospital Infection 2007, 67(4), 386-388.
• Rankin, K.S., Gerrand, C.H., McCaskie, A.W., Birch, M.A. Hypoxia and substratum dependent behaviour of breast cancer cells in the bone microenvironment. Cancer Treatment Reviews 2006, 32(Supplement 3), 42.