Dr Matthew Walker

  • Research Associate (Molecular Biosciences)

Biography

In 2014 I received my Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Hull with upper second class honours (68.5%)

After my Bachelor's degree, I joined the research group of Dr. Daniel Ungar at the University of York to undertake an MRes involving the characterisation of glycosylation mutants in Drosophila melanogaster. Following the completion of my MRes in 2015, I was accepted onto an EPSRC-funded studentship at the University of York to undertake a 3-year PhD supervised by Dr. Daniel Ungar, Prof. Paul Genever, Dr. Victor Chechik and Dr. Andrew Pratt. This was a highly interdisciplinary project across the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Electronics focusing on the development of magnetically-responsive nanoparticles for the delivery of bioactive therapeutics in joint disease.

The introduction of biomaterials and tissue engineering during my PhD research sparked my interest in their possibilities for cross-disciplinary translational research and motivated me to continue researching in these fields.

In 2019, I joined the Biomedical Engineering Research Division at the University of Glasgow to work as a postdoctoral researcher; since then I have worked with Dr. Marco Cantini, Prof. Delphine Gourdon, Prof. Massimo Vassalli and Dr. Catherine Berry.

My work is carried out within the Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment (CeMi), a multidisciplinary university initiative combining the expertise of cell biologists and bioengineers across the James Watt School of Engineering and College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences (MVLS). The CeMi is co-directed by Prof. Matt Dalby and Prof. Manuel Salmeron-Sanchez and is part of the Acellular/Smart Materials Hub of the United Kingdom Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP).

Research interests

My research focuses on engineering microenvironments to study cell interactions with the extracellular matrix. I am interested in mechanosensitive regulation of cell behaviour for tissue engineering applications in regenerative medicine and modelling disease pathologies.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017
Number of items: 16.

2025

Boland, E. et al. (2025) Biomechanical and compositional basement membrane defects due to a Col4a1 mutation affect cardiac morphology and function. Matrix Biology, (doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2025.09.003) (PMID:40946812) (Early Online Publication)

Walker, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Gourdon, D. and Cantini, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 (2025) Beyond static models: Mechanically dynamic matrices reveal new insights into cancer and fibrosis progression. Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering, 33, 100570. (doi: 10.1016/j.cobme.2024.100570)

Binner, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7996-7155, Starshynov, Ilya ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6656-9123, Tejeda, Gonzalo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2900-6276, McFall, Aisling ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4368-8330, Molloy, Colin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7179-7721, Ciccone, Giuseppe, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Vassalli, Massimo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3063-4376, Tobin, Andrew B. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1807-3123 and Faccio, Daniele ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8397-334X (2025) Optical, contact-free assessment of brain tissue stiffness and neurodegeneration. Biomedical Optics Express, 16(2), pp. 447-459. (doi: 10.1364/BOE.545580)

2024

Tan, M. et al. (2024) Polyetherureas as aqueous binders for Li ion batteries. ChemRxiv, (doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-mk39b)

Walker, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118 and Morton, J. P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5766-9141 (2024) Hydrogel models of pancreatic adenocarcinoma to study cell mechanosensing. Biophysical Reviews, 16(6), pp. 851-870. (doi: 10.1007/s12551-024-01265-8) (PMID:39830124) (PMCID:PMC11735828)

Kulyabin, Pavel, Magdysyuk, Oxana V., Naden, Aaron B., McLean Dawson, Daniel, Pancholi, Ketan, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Vassalli, Massimo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3063-4376 and Kumar, Amit (2024) Manganese-catalyzed synthesis of polyketones using hydrogen-borrowing approach. ACS Catalysis, 14(14), pp. 10624-10634. (doi: 10.1021/acscatal.4c03019) (PMID:39050896) (PMCID:PMC11264210)

Torabizadeh, Farid, Talaei-Khozani, Tahereh, Yaghobi, Atefeh, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118 and Mirzaei, Esmaeil (2024) Enhancing chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells through synergistic effects of cellulose nanocrystals and plastic compression in collagen-based hydrogel for cartilage formation. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 272(1), 132848. (doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132848) (PMID:38830491)

Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Pringle, Eonan William, Ciccone, Giuseppe, Oliver Cervello, Lluís, Tassieri, Manlio ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6807-0385, Gourdon, Delphine and Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 (2024) Mind the viscous modulus: the mechanotransductive response to the viscous nature of isoelastic matrices regulates stem cell chondrogenesis. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 13(9), 2302571. (doi: 10.1002/adhm.202302571) (PMID:38014647)

2022

Luo, Jiajun, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Xiao, Yinbo, Donnelly, Hannah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5154-9971, Dalby, Matthew J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0528-3359 and Salmeron-Sanchez, Manuel ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-2100 (2022) The influence of nanotopography on cell behaviour through interactions with the extracellular matrix – a review. Bioactive Materials, 15, pp. 145-159. (doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.11.024)

Asadishekari, Maryam, Mpoyi, Elie N., Li, Yifan, Eslami, Javad, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 and Gourdon, Delphine (2022) Three-dimensional tunable fibronectin-collagen platforms for control of cell adhesion and matrix deposition. Frontiers in Physics, 10, 806554. (doi: 10.3389/fphy.2022.806554)

2021

McDowall, Daniel, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Vassalli, Massimo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3063-4376, Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508, Khunti, Nikul, Edwards-Gayle, Charlotte Jennifer Chante, Cowieson, Nathan and Adams, Dave J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3176-1350 (2021) Controlling the formation and alignment of low molecular weight gel ‘noodles’. Chemical Communications, 57(70), pp. 8782-8785. (doi: 10.1039/D1CC03378F) (PMID:34378594)

Witte, K., Luo, J., Walker, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Cantini, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508, Seib, F.P. and Salmeron-Sanchez, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-2100 (2021) Bioinspired and bioinstructive surfaces to control mesenchymal stem cells. In: Azevedo, Helena S., Mano, João F. and Borges, João (eds.) Soft Matter for Biomedical Applications. Series: Soft matter series (13). Royal Society of Chemistry: Cambridge, pp. 301-325. ISBN 9781788017572 (doi: 10.1039/9781839161124-00301)

Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Luo, Jiajun, Pringle, Eonan William and Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 (2021) ChondroGELesis: hydrogels to harness the chondrogenic potential of stem cells. Materials Science and Engineering C: Materials for Biological Applications, 121, 111822. (doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.111822) (PMID:33579465)

2020

Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Will, Iain, Pratt, Andrew, Chechik, Victor, Genever, Paul and Ungar, Daniel (2020) Magnetically triggered release of entrapped bioactive proteins from thermally responsive polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for stem-cell proliferation. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 3(6), pp. 5008-5013. (doi: 10.1021/acsanm.0c01167) (PMID:32626842) (PMCID:PMC7325428)

2018

Wilson, Katherine M., Jagger, Alistair M., Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Seinkmane, Estere, Fox, James M., Kröger, Roland, Genever, Paul and Ungar, Daniel (2018) Glycans modify mesenchymal stem cell differentiation to impact on the function of resulting osteoblasts. Journal of Cell Science, 131(4), jcs209452. (doi: 10.1242/jcs.209452) (PMID:29361539) (PMCID:PMC5868951)

2017

Skeene, Kirsty, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Clarke, Graham, Bergström, Ed, Genever, Paul, Ungar, Daniel and Thomas-Oates, Jane (2017) One filter, one sample, and the N- and O-glyco(proteo)me: toward a system to study disorders of protein glycosylation. Analytical Chemistry, 89(11), pp. 5840-5849. (doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b00143) (PMID:28453257)

This list was generated on Wed Sep 24 02:30:40 2025 BST.
Jump to: Articles | Book Sections
Number of items: 16.

Articles

Boland, E. et al. (2025) Biomechanical and compositional basement membrane defects due to a Col4a1 mutation affect cardiac morphology and function. Matrix Biology, (doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2025.09.003) (PMID:40946812) (Early Online Publication)

Walker, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Gourdon, D. and Cantini, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 (2025) Beyond static models: Mechanically dynamic matrices reveal new insights into cancer and fibrosis progression. Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering, 33, 100570. (doi: 10.1016/j.cobme.2024.100570)

Binner, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7996-7155, Starshynov, Ilya ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6656-9123, Tejeda, Gonzalo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2900-6276, McFall, Aisling ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4368-8330, Molloy, Colin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7179-7721, Ciccone, Giuseppe, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Vassalli, Massimo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3063-4376, Tobin, Andrew B. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1807-3123 and Faccio, Daniele ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8397-334X (2025) Optical, contact-free assessment of brain tissue stiffness and neurodegeneration. Biomedical Optics Express, 16(2), pp. 447-459. (doi: 10.1364/BOE.545580)

Tan, M. et al. (2024) Polyetherureas as aqueous binders for Li ion batteries. ChemRxiv, (doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-mk39b)

Walker, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118 and Morton, J. P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5766-9141 (2024) Hydrogel models of pancreatic adenocarcinoma to study cell mechanosensing. Biophysical Reviews, 16(6), pp. 851-870. (doi: 10.1007/s12551-024-01265-8) (PMID:39830124) (PMCID:PMC11735828)

Kulyabin, Pavel, Magdysyuk, Oxana V., Naden, Aaron B., McLean Dawson, Daniel, Pancholi, Ketan, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Vassalli, Massimo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3063-4376 and Kumar, Amit (2024) Manganese-catalyzed synthesis of polyketones using hydrogen-borrowing approach. ACS Catalysis, 14(14), pp. 10624-10634. (doi: 10.1021/acscatal.4c03019) (PMID:39050896) (PMCID:PMC11264210)

Torabizadeh, Farid, Talaei-Khozani, Tahereh, Yaghobi, Atefeh, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118 and Mirzaei, Esmaeil (2024) Enhancing chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells through synergistic effects of cellulose nanocrystals and plastic compression in collagen-based hydrogel for cartilage formation. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 272(1), 132848. (doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132848) (PMID:38830491)

Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Pringle, Eonan William, Ciccone, Giuseppe, Oliver Cervello, Lluís, Tassieri, Manlio ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6807-0385, Gourdon, Delphine and Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 (2024) Mind the viscous modulus: the mechanotransductive response to the viscous nature of isoelastic matrices regulates stem cell chondrogenesis. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 13(9), 2302571. (doi: 10.1002/adhm.202302571) (PMID:38014647)

Luo, Jiajun, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Xiao, Yinbo, Donnelly, Hannah ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5154-9971, Dalby, Matthew J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0528-3359 and Salmeron-Sanchez, Manuel ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-2100 (2022) The influence of nanotopography on cell behaviour through interactions with the extracellular matrix – a review. Bioactive Materials, 15, pp. 145-159. (doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.11.024)

Asadishekari, Maryam, Mpoyi, Elie N., Li, Yifan, Eslami, Javad, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 and Gourdon, Delphine (2022) Three-dimensional tunable fibronectin-collagen platforms for control of cell adhesion and matrix deposition. Frontiers in Physics, 10, 806554. (doi: 10.3389/fphy.2022.806554)

McDowall, Daniel, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Vassalli, Massimo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3063-4376, Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508, Khunti, Nikul, Edwards-Gayle, Charlotte Jennifer Chante, Cowieson, Nathan and Adams, Dave J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3176-1350 (2021) Controlling the formation and alignment of low molecular weight gel ‘noodles’. Chemical Communications, 57(70), pp. 8782-8785. (doi: 10.1039/D1CC03378F) (PMID:34378594)

Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Luo, Jiajun, Pringle, Eonan William and Cantini, Marco ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508 (2021) ChondroGELesis: hydrogels to harness the chondrogenic potential of stem cells. Materials Science and Engineering C: Materials for Biological Applications, 121, 111822. (doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.111822) (PMID:33579465)

Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Will, Iain, Pratt, Andrew, Chechik, Victor, Genever, Paul and Ungar, Daniel (2020) Magnetically triggered release of entrapped bioactive proteins from thermally responsive polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for stem-cell proliferation. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 3(6), pp. 5008-5013. (doi: 10.1021/acsanm.0c01167) (PMID:32626842) (PMCID:PMC7325428)

Wilson, Katherine M., Jagger, Alistair M., Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Seinkmane, Estere, Fox, James M., Kröger, Roland, Genever, Paul and Ungar, Daniel (2018) Glycans modify mesenchymal stem cell differentiation to impact on the function of resulting osteoblasts. Journal of Cell Science, 131(4), jcs209452. (doi: 10.1242/jcs.209452) (PMID:29361539) (PMCID:PMC5868951)

Skeene, Kirsty, Walker, Matthew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Clarke, Graham, Bergström, Ed, Genever, Paul, Ungar, Daniel and Thomas-Oates, Jane (2017) One filter, one sample, and the N- and O-glyco(proteo)me: toward a system to study disorders of protein glycosylation. Analytical Chemistry, 89(11), pp. 5840-5849. (doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b00143) (PMID:28453257)

Book Sections

Witte, K., Luo, J., Walker, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5119-9118, Cantini, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-1508, Seib, F.P. and Salmeron-Sanchez, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-2100 (2021) Bioinspired and bioinstructive surfaces to control mesenchymal stem cells. In: Azevedo, Helena S., Mano, João F. and Borges, João (eds.) Soft Matter for Biomedical Applications. Series: Soft matter series (13). Royal Society of Chemistry: Cambridge, pp. 301-325. ISBN 9781788017572 (doi: 10.1039/9781839161124-00301)

This list was generated on Wed Sep 24 02:30:40 2025 BST.

Supervision

  • Xu Zhang - Development of bladder tumour microenvironments using hydrogel models (2025)
  • Kiflom Bhrane - Development of a tensile stretching device for liquid measurements (2024)
  • Ngai Ming Chu - Development of torsional AFM modality for mechanical characterisation via photothermal excitation (2024)
  • Antonella Passucci - Investigating the role of tissue viscoelasticity on mechanosensitive epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition during pancreatic epithelial neoplasia (2023)
  • Rachel Ng - Biolubrication and tribological characterisation of synovial fluid mimicking acemannan solutions (2023)
  • Nandana Shankar - Developing mesenchymal stem cell and chondrocyte co-culture viscoelastic hydrogel models for catrilage tissue engineering (2022)
  • Manasvi Sheta - Breast cancer cell mechanosensing on viscoelastic hydrogel tissue models (2022)
  • Laura Webster - Investigating Piezo1 and integrin expression of breast cancer cells on viscoelastic hydrogel tissue models (2022)
  • Julia Brown Casquet - Developing dynamic hydrogel surfaces to investigate the role of viscoelasticity on mechanosensing and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of different breast cancer cell lines (2022)
  • Thi Thuy Trang Le - Analysis of mesenchymal stem cell morphological descriptors during viscoelastic mechanosensing on RGD/HAVDI-modified substrates (2021)
  • Eonan Pringle - Analysis of mesenchymal stem cell morphological descriptors during viscoelastic mechanosensing on RGD-modified substrates (2021)

Research datasets

Jump to: 2025
Number of items: 1.

2025

Binner, P., Starshynov, I. , Tejeda, G. , McFall, A. , CICCONE, G., Walker, M. , Vassalli, M. , Tobin, A. and Faccio, D. (2025) Optical, contact-free assessment of brain tissue stiffness and neurodegeneration. [Data Collection]

This list was generated on Wed Sep 24 07:51:32 2025 BST.