Organizing Committee
Workshop Co-Chairs
Dr. Sarah Rice is a Versus Arthritis Career Development Fellow and Research Group Leader at Newcastle University, UK. She is a qualified Pharmacist (MPharm, University of Manchester) with extensive research experience investigating the interplay between DNA methylation and common genetic variants (SNPs) in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. In 2023, Dr Rice chaired the Gordon Research Symposium “Cartilage Biology and Pathology” and holds an Associate Editor position at the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy (Springer Nature).
Her current research focus is to identify cell and tissue specific gene enhancers that can influence the risk of musculoskeletal disease (osteoarthritis and osteoporosis) during both human skeletal development and in older age (https://research.ncl.ac.uk/ricelab/). This work encompasses the role of epigenetics and SNPs upon functional enhancer state and utilises omics technologies along with Cas9 modulators of the genome and epigenome. The overarching goal of this work is to functionally interpret genetic studies in osteoarthritis to identify novel therapeutic targets and stratify patients for targeted interventions.
Dr. Sarah Rice, MPharm, PhD
Versus Arthritis Career Development & Academic Track Fellow,
Skeletal Research Group,
International Centre for Life,
Newcastle Univerity
United Kingdom
Dr. Ramos has strong dual expertise in Molecular (stem) Cell Biology and Molecular Epidemiology. This has allowed Ramos to set-up a framework to functionally characterize identified genetic variants predisposing development and progression of osteoarthritis. The framework combines human primary joint cells, pluripotent stem cells, CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and human 3D in vitro models such as ‘joint-on-a-chip’ which allows to characterize cartilage-bone interface. Ramos aims at obtaining profound insight into the specific characteristics of joint tissues and the role of epigenetics in musculoskeletal homeostasis. Ramos’ research, added value to the field of complex multifactorial joint arthropathies, has enabled acquisition of SCI-MAP, a consortium grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) comprising a PhD and postdoc in her group, and acquisition of international H2020 collaborative grant AutoCRAT.
Dr. Yolande Ramos, PhD
Assistant Professor,
Osteoarthritis Research Group,
Department of Biomedical Data Sciences,
Leiden University Medical Center,
Netherlands
Dr. Mohit Kapoor is the Co-Director of the Schroeder Arthritis Institute (the largest multidisciplinary Arthritis Institute in Canada) that integrates clinical care, education and research. He is the Tony and Shari Fell Platinum Chair in Arthritis Research. He is also the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Toronto. He sits on review panels & boards of various research and funding organizations across the globe. His research program is funded by various organizations including the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), Canada Research Chairs Program, Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), The Krembil Foundation, The Arthritis Society, Stem Cell Network, & others.
He has over 100 research publications in high ranked scientific journals including Nature Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Reviews Rheumatology, Annals of The Rheumatic Diseases, and more.
Dr. Mohit Kapoor, PhD
Co-Director, Schroeder Arthritis Institute
Professor, University of Toronto
Canada
Workshop Coordinators
Maryam Gabrial
Administrative Assistant,
Event Coordinator,
Schroeder Arthritis Institute
Canada
Lynn Saber, MPC
Digital Content & Communications Specialist,
Event Coordinator,
Schroeder Arthritis Institute
Canada