Matthew Wilcox

Project: Characterising human peripheral nerve regeneration

Supervisors:

Dr. James Phillips (Reader in regenerative medicine and Vice-Dean for Innovation and Enterprise, University College London)

Mr. Tom Quick (Consultant peripheral nerve surgeon, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Honorary Associated Professor, University College London)

Project outline

Matt has taken time out of the UCL MBBS programme to intercalate a PhD with his ongoing clinical training. Matt’s PhD project explores human nerve samples retrieved from reconstructive nerve procedures to provide the first study into cellular and molecular features that underpin human peripheral nerve degeneration. Secondly, Matt’s project investigates new measures of nerve regeneration using quantitative MRI and neurophysiological techniques. This work is contributing to the development of valid outcome measures that are responsive to the biological process of nerve regeneration and muscle reinnervation; a major obstacle to the clinical translation of new therapies for improved nerve repair.

Collaborators

Matt’s project benefits from collaborations across the UCL Centre for Nerve Engineering including the Peripheral Nerve Injury Unit based at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and the UCL Department of Mechanical Engineering. In addition, Matt collaborates with experts in clinical neurophysiology and medical imaging:

Dr. Tom Tidswell – Consultant Neurophysiologist, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Royal Free Hospital

Dr. Marc Modat – Senior Lecturer, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, Kings College London

Dr. Liane dos Santos Canas – Postdoctoral researcher, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, Kings College London

Qualifications

Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2019)

First Class BSc (Hons) in Medical Sciences with Neuroscience (2016)

Academic Prizes

Adrian Prize Nominee 2019 – Nominated by the British Society of Clinical Neurophysiology for this national prize for my research into Motor Unit Number Estimation in nerve regeneration.

Bogue Fellowship 2018 – £3800 of funding awarded by UCL on the basis of scientific merit to visit a leading research unit with a focus on regenerative neuroscience: The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under the supervision of Professor Ahmet Hoke (Director, Neuromuscular Division; Professor of Neurology; Professor of Neuroscience).

UCL Graduate Research Scholarship 2018 – One of 25 scholarships awarded by University College London annually to promising current or prospective PhD students. The award was worth over £50,000 providing full sponsorship of tuition fees and an annual stipend.

British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons Elective Prize 2018 – One of 20 medical students nationally to be awarded £500 of funding to support a presentation on “An assessment of fatigue and co-contraction in reinnervated elbow flexor muscles” at the international “Peripheral Nerve Society AGM” in Baltimore, USA 2018.

Wellcome Trust UCL Eastman Dental Institute Away Day 2017 – Awarded second prize for the 3 minute thesis competition.

Sydney Long Prize for Surgery 2017 – Presented with the UCL prize for surgery after an essay discussing “How technology has changed surgery” was awarded first place.

England Golf Trust Scholarship 2017 – Award over £1000 per year to support PhD research on the strength of the above research proposal, past academic attainments and ongoing golfing achievements.

Healing Foundation and British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons elective prize 2016 – One of five recipients nationally to receive funding to support my involvement in research investigating the phenotypic changes in human denervated Schwann Cells under the supervision of Mr. Tom Quick (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Peripheral Nerve Injury Unit) and Dr. James Phillips (Senior Lecturer in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering UCL).

British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons Elective Prize 2018 – One of 20 medical students nationally to be awarded £500 of funding for research into human peripheral nerve regeneration.

National Undergraduate and Foundation Surgical Conference Award 2015 – Research abstract assessing quality of life of patients suffering with Chronic Pancreatitis was selected to be presented at the conference and was subsequently awarded with the prize for the best research submission by a pre-clinical student.

UCL Summer Studentship Award 2015 – Awarded for past academic achievements and to support involvement in research at the Aspire CREATe (Centre for Rehabilitative Engineering and Assistive Technologies), UCL division of Surgery and Interventional Science.

Nuffield Bursary 2012 – Selected out of a national cohort for over £300 of funding to complete research on Chronic Pancreatitis at the Liverpool Pancreatic Biomedical Research Unit, Royal Liverpool Hospital under the supervision of Professor Robert Sutton (Director, NIHR Liverpool Pancreas Biomedical Research Unit, Director of Research, Liverpool Health Partners).

Publications and presentations

Papers

Wilcox, M., H. Gregory, R. Powell, J. B. Phillips (2020). “Strategies for peripheral nerve repair.” Current Tissue Microenvironment Reports (In press)

Rayner, M. L. D., H. L. Brown, M. Wilcox, J. B. Phillips and T. J. Quick (2019). “Quantifying regeneration in patients following peripheral nerve injury.” Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.

Wilcox, M., H. Brown, K. Johnson, M. Sinisi and T. Quick (2019). “An assessment of fatigability following nerve transfer to reinnervate elbow flexor muscles.” The Bone & Joint Journal 101-B: 867-871.

Wilcox, M., T. J. Quick and J. B. Phillips (2019). “The Effects of Surgical Antiseptics and Time Delays on RNA Isolated From Human and Rodent Peripheral Nerves.” Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 13: 189-189.

Wilcox, M., A. Rathore, D. Morgado Ramirez, R. Loureiro and T. Carlson (2016). “Muscular Activity and Physical Interaction Forces during Lower Limb Exoskeleton Use.” Healthcare Technology Letters 3.

Rathore, A., M. Wilcox, D. Morgado Ramirez, R. Loureiro and T. Carlson (2016). Quantifying The Human-Robot Interaction Forces Between A Lower Limb Exoskeleton And Healthy Users. In Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) 2016 (accepted).

Wilcox, M., M. Johnstone and R. Sutton (2016). “How does chronic pancreatitis affect the quality of life in patients?” Annals of Medicine and Surgery 11: 67.

Book chapters

Wilcox, M., H. L. Brown, T. Quick (2020). Clinical outcome measures following peripheral nerve repair. Tissue Engineering and Regeneration. Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering and Regeneration. J. B. Phillips, D. Hercher, T. Hausner. London, Springer Nature Switzerland (submitted).

Wilcox, M., A. Fisgun, A. Hoke (2020). Regenerative therapies for acquired axonal neuropathies. Tissue Engineering and Regeneration. Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering and Regeneration. J. B. Phillips, D. Hercher, T. Hausner. London, Springer Nature Switzerland (submitted).

Conference proceedings

Wilcox, M., T. Tidswell, J. B. Phillips, T. Quick (2019). MUNE following nerve transfer to renervate elbow flexor muscles. Adrian Prize Candidate at the British Society of Clinical Neurophysiology Autumn Scientific Meeting, London (United Kingdom).

Wilcox, M., S. Gomes, T.Eriksson, K. Jessen, R. Mirsky, T. Quick, J. B. Phillips (2019). Characterising cellular and molecular features of human peripheral nerve degeneration. International Symposium on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Porto (Portugal).

Wilcox, M., H. Brown, K. Johnson, M. Sinisi and T. Quick (2019). An assessment of fatigability and co-contraction following nerve transfer to reinnervate elbow flexor muscles. Narakas, Leiden (Netherlands).

Wilcox, M., H. Brown, K. Johnson, M. Sinisi and T. Quick (2018). An assessment of fatigability and co-contraction following nerve transfer to reinnervate elbow flexor muscles. American Society for Peripheral Nerve Meeting, California (USA).

Wilcox, M., T. Quick and J. B. Phillips (2019). The Effects of Surgical Antiseptics and Time Delays on RNA Isolated From Human and Rodent Peripheral Nerves. American Society for Peripheral Nerve Meeting, California (USA).

Wilcox, M., T. Quick (2018). 100 years of peripheral nerve repair. British Orthopaedic Association meeting, Birmingham (United Kingdom).

Wilcox, M., H. Brown, K. Johnson, M. Sinisi and T. Quick (2018). An assessment of fatigability and co-contraction following nerve transfer to reinnervate elbow flexor muscles. Peripheral Nerve Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore (USA).

Wilcox, M., T. Quick and J. B. Phillips (2018). Advancing the available therapeutic options for nerve injury. UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences Dean’s Research Day, London (United Kingdom).

Wilcox, M., T. Quick and J. B. Phillips (2017). Advancing the available therapeutic options for nerve injury. UCL Eastman Dental Institute Research Away Day 3 minute Thesis (Runner Up), London (United Kingdom).