Surgical Discovery Centre

The newly established Surgical Discovery Centre directed by Prof. Matthew Allen,  is a hub for developing new surgical techniques and spinning out ideas in partnership with Cambridge Enterprises. Our vision is to use research to drive the development of innovative solutions to contemporary problems in both small animal and human surgery. Key focus areas within the Surgical Discovery Centre include the development of better total joint replacement implants, limb sparing implants for patients with bone cancer, improved diagnostic techniques and treatment options for bone and joint infections.

Matthew graduated from the University of Cambridge with a veterinary degree (1991) and PhD in orthopaedics (1995). After post-doctoral training at Purdue University, He took up a research-intensive faculty appointment in Orthopedic Surgery at the Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, where he set up and ran a program on preclinical orthopaedic animal models. In 2008, He moved to the veterinary school at The Ohio State University. As director of the Surgical Research Laboratory, He performed preclinical and clinical trials in the areas of total joint replacement, orthopaedic oncology, spine surgery, regenerative medicine and osteoarthritis. In September 2014, Matthew was elected Professor of Small Animal Surgery at Cambridge. In this new position he combines clinical interests in total joint replacement (with a particular emphasis on primary and revision total knee replacement) with an expanded preclinical and clinical research effort through the newly established Surgical Discovery Centre. Matthew also participates in campus-wide research initiatives such as the Cambridge Centre for Musculoskeletal Repair, Regeneration and Replacement (r3) and the Cambridge Cancer Centre. 

Email: mja1000@cam.ac.uk

Charlotte graduated in 2014 with a first class honours degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Plymouth.  She went on to complete an internship at the University of Plymouth working on proteomic patterns in prostate cancer, and also gained further experience in molecular biology from projects at the Open University. She was awarded a scholarship from St Johns College Cambridge to complete her masters degree at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. During this time, she invested the deregulation of specific chromatin remodelling complexes in colorectal cancer. Charlotte is currently working towards her PhD in the Surgical Discovery Centre where her work focuses on the molecular mechanisms that drive the growth and spread of pediatric musculoskeletal tumors in humans and canines.

Email: cerp2@cam.ac.uk

Sara graduated in 2012 from The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Alexandria University, Egypt, among the top 5 of her class. She then worked as an Assistant lecturer/researcher in the Department of Surgery there from April 2013, where her duties included as a Surgeon in the Veterinary School Surgery Clinic.She was awarded her MSC degree in Veterinary Medical Science from the same University working on Augmentation Cystoplasty in dogs in November 2015, and then she successfully applied for a PhD studentship at University of Cambridge.

Sara’s study is sponsored via Newton-Mosharafa Scholarship a mutual fund between the British Council & the Egyptian Ministry of Higher education as well as the Cambridge Trust. She is working toward her PhD in the Surgical Discovery Centre, Department of Veterinary Medicine, under supervision of Prof. Matthew Allen in a project looking at innovative tissue engineering approaches for bone regeneration, which involves in vitro and in vivo studies on mesenchymal stem cells in combination with different 3D printed scaffolds.

Email: sahe2@cam.ac.uk

Nicola started working for the Department of Veterinary Medicine (QVSH) from July 2019 as a Clinical research coordinator.

She works closely with us here at the Surgical Discovery Centre and plays a key role in the communication between the hospital and research aspects. She is an experienced Veterinary Nurse by trade who has now taken the leap from clinic based first opinion practice to the world of research. She has over 14 years of nursing behind her including locuming previously at our Oncology department and small animal wing here at the Vet school and more recently she was a head nurse managing a team in London.

Currently she is coordinating these projects: The use of V-Pet platelet concentrate for treatment of canine elbow osteoarthritis, Comparative canine gait analysis using Tekscan® Pressure sensing mat and Zebris treadmill, Intelligent stethoscope, as well as a point of contact for possible extra corporeal shock wave candidate cases. If you have any enquiries or clinical research ideas you need to discuss please contact Nicola on nsc43@cam.ac.uk