Dr Amy Naylor PhD, MSc, BSc

Amy Naylor

Department of Inflammation and Ageing
Senior Research Fellow
Deputy Theme Lead for Rheumatology

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 371 3266
Email
a.naylor@bham.ac.uk
Address
Rheumatology Research Group
Department of Inflammation and Ageing
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Naylor’s research group studies the bone remodelling process to identify aspects that can be targeted therapeutically to reverse the bone loss seen as a result of inflammation and ageing, both of which represent a significant clinical burden in terms of cost and patient quality of life.

We use models of bone turnover and healing, which are analysed using cutting-edge imaging techniques including the Diamond Light Source facility and novel in silico methods that we have developed in collaboration with the Computer Sciences at the University 麻豆精选. To make a positive impact in reducing animal usage as part of our commitment to the practice of the 3Rs, we actively collaborate with chemical and tissue engineers to develop complex in vitro models that mimic the in vivo microenvironment, something that is currently lacking in the field of bone research. To this core research we are adding systems biology approaches (transcript profiling and metabolomics) to further enhance our modelling and mechanistic understanding of the cellular, tissue and whole organism phenotypes that we encounter, with clear translational potential.

Amy has received grant funding from Versus Arthritis (in the form of Foundation and Career Development Fellowships), AstraZeneca, EPSRC and NC3Rs amongst others.

Qualifications

  • PhD, Rheumatology (Oliver Bird Foundation): University of Newcastle, 2008
  • MRes, Medical and Molecular Biosciences: University of Newcastle, 2005
  • BSc (Hons International), Biology: University of Leeds, 2004

Biography

Amy Naylor completed an MSc and PhD in the Musculoskeletal Research Group at the University of Newcastle as part of the Oliver Bird Rheumatism Scheme.

She moved to the University 麻豆精选 to work for Professor Chris Buckley and was awarded a Foundation Fellowship from Arthritis Research UK to investigate the role of stromal cell-specific markers in inflammation and repair. Since completing the fellowship she has remained at the University 麻豆精选 in the Department of Inflammation and Ageing and in 2018 was awarded a prestigious 5 year Career Development Fellowship from Versus Arthritis.

Teaching

Postgraduate

  • 2018 to date: Module lead, lecturer and small group tutor, Immunology and Immunotherapy MSc – Inflammation and Cell Migration module

Undergraduate

  • 2012 to date: Tutor, Research taster - MBChB
  • 2013 to date: Lecturer and small group tutor, Intercalated BMedSci - Rheumatology and Orthopaedics module
  • 2019 to date: Lecturer and small group tutor, MPharm - Health, Disease and Therapeutics module
  • 2020 to date: Lecturer, BMedSc - Immunity and Inflammatory Disease

Research projects

Previous summer student, undergraduate student and MSc student research projects include:

  • Developing an analysis assay to assess ossification rate in an organotypic model of the bone remodelling process
  • Using Avizo software to analyse synchrotron-generated super high resolution 3D images of bone
  • In vitro manipulation of a novel endothelial cell-osteoblast interaction
  • The role of the CLEC14A-MMRN2-CD248 mechanism in bone formation: A potential therapeutic target
  • Establishing the role of CD248 in influencing PDGF signalling during angiogenesis
  • The role of CD248 in mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into adipocytes
  • Establishing the role of CD248 in angiogenesis in skeletal muscle
  • Characterising the role of the CD248-MMRN2-CLEC14A protein complex in bone formation
  • Assessing the role of CD248 in the ageing bone

Postgraduate supervision

Amy currently supervisors doctoral researchers undertaking the following projects:

  • An organotypic model of the bone remodelling process
  • Targeting the novel CD248-MMRN2-CLEC14A signalling pathway in age-related bone loss
  • The ageing bone – a novel peptide as an inducer of bone repair
  • Formulation of a novel suspending medium for immobilised culture and tissue processing
  • Characterising the therapeutic potential of a novel peptide in age-related bone loss, skeletal remodelling and repair
  • Development of 3D cell cultures for synthetic bone models

Researchers who are considering undertaking PhD in Life Sciences at Birmingham and have secured funding, or are eligible for funding from local sources, please contact idtp@contacts.bham.ac.uk

For a full list of available Doctoral Research opportunities, please visit our Doctoral Research programme listings.

Research

Research themes

Bone remodelling in inflammation and ageing, stromal cell differentiation and migration, stromal cell-osteoclast interactions.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Lewis, JW, Frost, K, Neag, G, Wahid, M, Finlay, M, Northall, E, Abudu, O, Davis, E, Powell, E, Palmer, C, Lu, J, Rainger, E, Iqbal, A, Chimen, M, Mahmood, A, Jones, S, Edwards, J, Naylor, A & McGettrick, H 2024, '', Cell Reports Medicine, vol. 5, no. 5, 101574.

Frost, K, Lewis, JW, Jones, SW, Edwards, JR, Naylor, AJ & McGettrick, HM 2024, '', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 25, no. 10, 5118.

Neag, G, Lewis, J, Turner, J, Manning, J, Dean, I, Finlay, M, Poologasundarampillai, G, Woods, J, Arham Sahu, M, Khan, KA, Begum, J, McGettrick, H, Bellantuono, I, Heath, V, Jones, S, Buckley, C, Bicknell, R & Naylor, A 2024, '', Communications Biology, vol. 7, 1296.

Finlay, M, Hill, LA, Neag, G, Patel, B, Chipara, M, Lamont, HC, Frost, K, Patrick, K, Lewis, JW, Nicholson, T, Edwards, J, Jones, SW, Grover, L & Naylor, AJ 2023, '', F1000Research, vol. 12, 357.

Patrick, K, Tian, X, Cartwright, D, Heising, S, Glover, MS, Northall, EN, Cazares, L, Hess, S, Baker, D, Church, C, Davies, G, Lavery, G & Naylor, AJ 2023, '', PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 4, e0284012.

Fenton, CG, Crastin, A, Martin, CS, Suresh, S, Montagna, I, Hussain, B, Naylor, AJ, Jones, SW, Hansen, MS, Gorvin, CM, Price, M, Filer, A, Cooper, MS, Lavery, GG, Raza, K & Hardy, RS 2022, '', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 23, no. 13, 7334, pp. 7334.

Moakes, R, Senior, JJ, Robinson, T, Chipara, M, Naylor, A, Metcalfe, T, Smith, AM & Grover, L 2021, '', APL Bioengineering, vol. 5, no. 4, 046103 .

Tokudome, Y, Poologasundarampillai, G, Tashibana, K, Murata, H, Naylor, A, Yoneyama, A & Nakahira, A 2021, '', Advanced NanoBiomed Research.

Fenton, C, Martin, C, Jones, R, Croft, A, Campos, J, Naylor, A, Taylor, A, Chimen, M, Cooper, M, Lavery, G, Raza, K & Hardy, R 2021, '', Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, vol. 80, no. 2, pp. 250-260.

Armitage, EG, Barnes, A, Patrick, K, Bechar, J, Harrison, MJ, Lavery, GG, Rainger, GE, Buckley, CD, Loftus, NJ, Wilson, ID & Naylor, AJ 2021, '', Metabolomics, vol. 17, no. 2, 14.

Comment/debate

Moakes, RJA, Senior, JJ, Robinson, TE, Chipara, M, Atanasov, A, Naylor, A, Metcalfe, AD, Smith, AM & Grover, LM 2023, '', APL Bioengineering, vol. 7, no. 2, 029901.

Editorial

Mauro, C, Naylor, AJ & Lord, JM 2022, '', British Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 179, no. 9, pp. 1787-1789.

Review article

Chidomere, CI, Wahid, M, Kemble, S, Chadwick, C, Thomas, R, Hardy, RS, Mcgettrick, HM & Naylor, AJ 2023, '', Discovery Immunology, vol. 2, no. 1, kyac010.

Frost, K, Naylor, AJ & McGettrick, HM 2023, '', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 24, no. 8, 6935.

Lewis, J, Edwards, J, Naylor, A & McGettrick, H 2021, '', Bone Research, vol. 9, 1.