I am an academic orthopaedic surgeon with a focus on arthritis and ageing research. I undertook undergraduate training (MBChB - Medicine and Surgery, MSc - Tissue Engineering for Regenerative Medicine) at The University of Manchester, with my research project focussing on optimising culture conditions to enhance the differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) into cartilage. As a post-graduate I completed the NIHR Academic Foundation Programme (North West) and in 2016 was appointed as an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Trauma and Orthopaedics in the Northern Deanery.

Since 2016, I have focussed on understanding the genetics and epigenetics of disabling musculoskeletal diseases (mainly osteoarthritis). I aim to apply this knowledge, and CRISPR-based genome editing tools, to develop novel therapies from MSCs and Human induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (HiPSCs). In future, this work aims to develop pathways for the production and validation of genetically resilient cartilage from human cell sources to treat osteoarthritis.  

I commenced my PhD in August 2020 and my fellowship is based at multiple research institutions, I am currently a visiting scholar at Washington University in St Louis, MO, USA.

I have recently been awarded the 2020-21 Royal College of Surgeons UK-US Fulbright scholar award (http://www.fulbright.org.uk/about-us/meet-our-fulbrighters/2020-21-us-uk-fulbright-award-grantees/2020-21-british-scholar-award-grantees) to support my PhD work in Missouri with Farshid Guilak (https://orthopaedicresearch.wustl.edu/labs/farshid-guilak/)

Key Collaborators

• Professors John Loughlin & David Deehan - Newcastle University, UK (genetics, epigenetics & surgical translation)
• Professor Judith Hoyland - The University of Manchester, UK (matrix biology)
• Professor Farsh Guilak - Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, USA (cartilage regeneration from MSCs and HiPSCs, mechanobiology, single cell RNA sequencing) 
• Professor Gerhard Wiche - Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria (cytoskeletal biology, plectinopathies)

Specialty Interests

• Molecular genetics and epigenetics
• DNA Methylation analyses
• CRISPR-Cas9/dCas9 genome and epigenome editing
• MSC and HiPSC chondrogenesis
• Mechanobiology
• Tissue engineering and regeneration
• RNA sequencing including single cell (scRNA-Seq)
• Visualising the cellular cytoskeleton
• Patient and public involvement / engagement (PPI/E)
• Outcomes research
• Orthogeriatric research

My research has been supported by:

UK-US Fulbright Commission

Wellcome Trust

The Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis Centre for Integrated research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA)

Royal College of Surgeons of England

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

The John George William Patterson Foundation

The John Charnley Trust

Wrightington 3 Wishes Foundation

Leopharma Scholarship

JHG Holt Foundation

More information is available @ 

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4449-014X

https://twitter.com/tsorial

My research falls under two broad themes:

1) Basic science/translational

In this theme my research focusses on the genetics and epigenetics of disabling musculoskeletal disease, and how our understanding of this can be used to create genome edited, tissue engineered solutions to disease.

My research is collaborative and forms links between Newcastle University, The University of Manchester, Washington University in St Louis (MO, USA) and Universitat Wien (Vienna, AT).

2) Big data, machine learning and outcomes research

In this theme I work closely with the AGE research group (Campus for Ageing and Vitality) and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The overarching aim is to use existing data to develop algorithms to predict (and eventually improve) outcomes from orthopaedic surgery.

Our current focus is using data to predict and model hip fracture outcomes.

I co-supervise projects (in collaboration with senior colleagues).

Our previous students have achieved first author publications and distinctions in intercalated MSc programmes

I am happy to consider mentoring and supervising MRes /medical students/ post-graduate medics, please contact me by email (tony.sorial@ncl.ac.uk) if you are interested in getting involved in research.

• Doherty WJ, Stubbs TA, Chaplin A, Langford S, Sinclair N, Ibrahim K, Reed MR, Sayer AA, Witham MD, Sorial AK. Implementing grip strength assessment in hip fracture patients: a feasibility project. Journal of Frailty, Sarcopenia and Falls 2021, 6(2), 66-78.
• Sorial AK, Harrison-Holland M, Young HS. The impact of research intercalation during medical school on post-graduate career progression. BMC Medical Education 2021, 21, 39.
• Sorial AK, Anjum SA, Cook MJ, Board TN, ONeill TW. Statins, Bone Biology and Revision Arthroplasty: Review of Clinical and Experimental Evidence. Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease 2020, 12.
• Doherty WJ, Stubbs TA, Chaplin A, Reed MR, Sayer AA, Witham MD, Sorial AK. Prediction of postoperative outcomes after hip fracture surgery: independent validation and recalibration of the Nottingham Hip Fracture Score. Journal of American Medical Directors Association 2021, 22(3), 663-669.e2.
• Sorial AK, Hofer IM, Tselepi M, Cheung K, Parker E, Deehan DJ, Rice SJ, Loughlin J. Multi-tissue epigenetic analysis of the osteoarthritis susceptibility locus mapping to the plectin gene PLEC. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2020, 28(11), 1448-1458.
• Cook M, Sorial AK, Lunt M, Board TN, O'Neill TW. Effect of timing and duration of statin exposure on risk of hip or knee revision arthroplasty: a population-based cohort study. The Journal of Rheumatology 2020, 47(3), 441-448.
• Rice SJ, Tselepi M, Sorial AK, Aubourg G, Shepherd C, Almarza D, Skelton AJ, Pangou I, Deehan DJ, Reynard L, Loughlin J. Prioritization of PLEC and GRINA as osteoarthritis risk genes through the identification and characterization of novel methylation quantitative trait loci. Arthritis and Rheumatology 2019, 71(8), 1285-1296.
• Rice SJ, Sorial AK, Aubourg G, Shepherd C, Tselepi M, Almarza D, Skelton AJ, Deehan D, Reynard LN, Loughlin J. Identification of novel methylation quantitative trait loci (mqtls) and functional characterization using CRISPR/CAS9 and gene expression analysis prioritizes PLEC as an OA risk gene. In: 2018 OARSI World Congress on Osteoarthritis Promoting Clinical and Basic Research in Osteoarthritis. 2018, Liverpool: Elsevier.
• Rice SJ, Aubourg G, Sorial AK, Almarza D, Tselepi M, Deehan DJ, Reynard LN, Loughlin J. Identification of a novel, methylation-dependent, RUNX2 regulatory region associated with osteoarthritis risk. Human Molecular Genetics 2018, 27(19), 3464-3474.
• Mohan HM, Fitzgerald E, Gokani V, Sutton P, Harries R, Bethune R, McDermott FD, Sorial A, Collaborators A. Engagement and role of surgical trainees in global surgery: Consensus statement and recommendations from the Association of Surgeons in Training. International Journal of Surgery 2018, 52, 366-370.
• Rice SJ, Aubourg G, Sorial AK, Deehan D, Loughlin J, Reynard LN. Epigenetic and transcriptional effects operate on the SUPT3H and RUNX2 genes residing at the chromosome 6p21.1 osteoarthritis susceptibility locus and correlate with the association signal. In: 2017 OARSI World Congress. 2017, Las Vegas, NV, USA.