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MEng, MRes, PhD,PGCAP

Doctor Eldridge is a molecular biologist with a background in engineering. The main goal of her research is to discover, understand, and develop new drugs that will prevent osteoarthritis and heal cartilage.

Dr Eldridge began her training in engineering and subsequently undertook a master’s in medical engineering.  During these studies, she acquired a strong interest in musculoskeletal biology, with a particular emphasis on joint and cartilage damage, undertaking a short internship in a biomaterials company specialising in meniscal replacements for patients with meniscal damage.

Dr Eldridge became unsatisified with the engineering approach to ‘fix’ the body once its ‘broken’ and pursued a master’s and subsequent PhD in molecular biology of cartilage and joint fails in the first place and more importantly, why there are no treatements.

Dr Eldridge’s current research is focussed on a protein she discovered only patients with healthy cartilage have, this protein called Agrin is hard to detect in patients with osteoarthritis and the more severe their disease, the less Agrin they have.  Dr Eldridge’s studies have shown that by adding this protein back to the joint, the cells make more cartilage.

Dr Eldridge is now pursuing Agrin as a treatment for cartilage damage and osteoarthritis, with the ultimate goal to take this discovery from the lab to the patients that need it.

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