Richard Bartlett

RichardProject: Tissue-engineering and regenerative medicine approaches to stabilise, protect and repair the damaged CNS

Richard is a medical student taking time out of the conventional medical course to pursue higher research as part of the integrated UCL MB/PhD programme.

His research is focussed on developing new regenerative therapies for spinal cord injury. Specifically, Richard is performing work with specialised support cells from the nose (olfactory ensheathing cells) and investigating how their delivery might be improved through combination with tissue engineering approaches (video link).

Outside of his research, Richard is an avid guitarist and enjoys playing badminton. He also has a sustained interest in promoting fairer access to selective courses such as medicine. In the future, Richard aspires to bridge the translational interface between the laboratory and first-in-human clinical trials as a research-active neurosurgeon.

CONTACT:

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @drrdb93

SUPERVISORS:
Dr James Phillips– Reader in Regenerative Medicine, UCL School of Pharmacy

Prof David Choi– Professor of Neurosurgery, Institute of Neurology

QUALIFICATIONS:

iBSc Medical Sciences with Surgical Science – 1stclass (Dean’s List)

MBBS – pending 2021

MB/PhD – pending 2019 (Dean’s Prize)

PRIZES & AWARDS:

6thAnnual Deans Prize, 1stprize from 580 post-graduate research students (2018) – link

Zeshan Qureshi Award for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Education, runner-up (2017) – link

TCES travel bursary award (2017)

Sidney Linton Prize, Royal Society of Medicine, 1stprize (2016) – link

Harold Ellis Prize, Royal College of Surgeons England, 3rdprize (2016) – link

‘Be the Change’ NHS Quality Improvement Championship, winning team (2016) – link

UCL Advances ‘Dragons Den’ competition, proxime accessit (2016)

Goldberg Schachmann & Freda Becker Memorial Fund (2015)

International GSTT Surgical Assembly, 1stplace conference prize (2014)

ASiT Medal, shortlisted (2014)

Dean’s List (2014)

Ken-Hobbs Prize, highest performance of iBSc (2014)

Best Presentation and Viva Voice award (2014)

Bennet Waters Scholarship (2011)

PUBLICATIONS:

The effect of hypoxia on olfactory ensheathing cell cultures: implications for spinal cord repair (conference proceedings). Bartlett RD, Burley S, Choi D, Phillips JB. European Cells and MaterialsAbstracts, Collection 4 (2018). Link.

A pilot study to assess the utility of a freely downloadable mobile application simulator for undergraduate clinical skills training: a single-blinded, randomised controlled trial. Bartlett RD,Radenkovic D, Mitrasinovic S, et al. BMC Medical Education (2017). Link.

Lifestyle choice generally shouldn’t influence clinical decisions – but there are exceptions (invited article). Bartlett RD. Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons England(2017). Link.

Biomechanical properties of the spinal cord: implications for tissue engineering and clinical translation. BartlettRD, Choi D, Phillips JB. Regenerative Medicine(2016). Link.

Probing the biomechanical properties of spinal cord tissue: implications for tissue-engineering (conference proceedings). Bartlett RD, Phillips JB, Choi D. British Journal of Neurosurgery (2016).Link.

Mapping the viscoelastic mechanical properties of spinal cord tissue: implications for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering in the CNS (conference proceedings). Bartlett RD, Choi D, Phillips JB. European Cells and MaterialsMeeting Abstracts, Collection 5 (2016). Link.

A novel protocol to characterise the mechanical properties of spinal cord tissue and benchmark candidate biomaterials for CNS tissue-engineering (conference proceedings). Bartlett RD, Choi D, Phillips JB. European Cells and Materials Abstracts, Collection 1 (2016). Link.

Optimisation of Biomaterial Surfaces for Next Generation Neurological Implants (conference proceedings). Bartlett RD, Cousins BG. International Journal of Surgery(2016). Link.

Multicentre prospective cohort study of body mass index and postoperative complications following gastrointestinal surgery. STARSurg DISCOVER Study Collaborator. British Journal of Surgery(2016). Link.

Personalised in vitro cancer modelling – fantasy or reality? Bartlett RD, Everett W, Weiche L, G N, Tan A, Loizidou M, Seifalian A. Translational Oncology (2014). Link.


PRESENTATIONS:

Hydrogel systems to enhance the delivery of cell therapy for traumatic spinal cord injury (poster). Bartlett RD, Phillips JB, Choi D. Association of British Neurologists-Society for British Neurological Surgeons (ABN-SBNS) Joint Meeting2018, London, UK.

A unilateral cervical rat dorsal resection model to assess cellular biomaterials for spinal cord repair (poster). Bartlett RD, Roberton V, Choi D, Phillips JB. 20thInternational Spinal Research Trust (ISRT) Network Meeting 2018, London, UK.

Tissue engineering to enhance the delivery of olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord repair (oral). Bartlett RD, Phillips JB, Choi D. Francis Crick Clinical Fellows Meeting2018, London, UK.

Next-generation constructs for the delivery of olfactory ensheathing cells following traumatic spinal cord injury (oral). Bartlett RD, Phillips JB, Choi D. 17thEuropean Congress of Neurosurgery (EANS)2017, Venice, Italy.

Tissue-engineered constructs to enhance the delivery of olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord repair (poster). Bartlett RD, Choi D, Phillips JB. 19thInternational Spinal Research Trust (ISRT) Network Meeting 2017, London, UK.

Olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord repair – a tissue engineering approach (poster). Bartlett RD, Choi D, Phillips JB. Tissue & Cell Engineering Society (TCES)2017, Manchester, UK.

Mechanically optimised tissue-engineered constructs for spinal cord repair. Bartlett RD, Choi D, Phillips JB (short oral & poster). Advancing Tissue & Regenerative Engineering in UK Medicine(ATREUM)2017, Crewe, UK.

Mapping the viscoelastic mechanical properties of spinal cord tissue: implications for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering in the CNS (oral). Bartlett RD, Choi D, Phillips JB. Tissue & Cell Engineering Society (TCES) 2016, London, UK.

A novel protocol to characterise the mechanical properties of spinal cord tissue and benchmark candidate biomaterials for CNS tissue-engineering (poster). Bartlett RD, Choi D, Phillips JB. Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) EU-Chapter Meeting 2016, Uppsala, Sweden.

Probing the biomechanical properties of spinal cord tissue: implications for CNS tissue-engineering (oral). Bartlett RD, Phillips JB, Choi D. The British Neurosurgical Research Group (BNRG) Meeting 2016, Cambridge, UK.

Optimisation of Biomaterial Surfaces for Next Generation Neurosurgical Implants (oral). Bartlett RD, Cousins BG. The Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) Annual Conference 2015, Glasgow, UK.

Optimisation of Biomaterial Surfaces for Next Generation Neurological Implants (oral). Bartlett RD, Cousins BG. International GSTT Surgical Assembly 2014, London, United Kingdom.

INVITED SESSIONS:

Symposium host and co-chair: ‘Nervous system repair – paradigms, challenges and lessons for clinical translation’. Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) EU-Chapter Meeting 2019, Rhodes, Greece.

Invited speaker/faculty (60 mins): ‘Overview of the nervous system and biomechanics’. UCL Nerve Injury Summer School 2018, London, UK.

Invited speaker (20 mins): ‘Cells from the nose to repair the spinal cord’. UCL Nerve Injury Summer School 2017, London, UK.

Invited speaker (45 mins): ‘Olfactory Ensheathing Cells for Spinal Cord Repair’. KCL Neuroscience Symposium 2017, London, UK.

Lecturer (60 mins): ‘The iBSc Year – The Inside Story’. UCL Medical School 2016, London, UK.

Session co-chair: ‘Biomaterials for Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture and Differentiation’. Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) EU-Chapter Meeting 2016, Uppsala, Sweden.

AUTHORSHIP:

Primary contributing author for ‘Malaria’ section: Unofficial Guide to Medicine; Eds Byrne P; Qureshi Z, 1st Edition. In progress, publication scheduled 2019.

Primary contributing author for ‘Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery’ section: Unofficial Guide to Surgery; Qureshi Z, 1st Edition. In progress, publication scheduled 2019.

Primary contributing author for ‘Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalothy’ section: Unofficial Guide to Medicine; Eds Byrne P; Qureshi Z, 1st Edition. In progress, publication scheduled 2019.

 

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