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Professor Francesco Dell'Accio

Francesco

Professor of Musculoskeletal Regenerative Medicine & Rheumatology

Centre: Experimental Medicine & Rheumatology

Email: f.dellaccio@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0) 20 7882 8204
X: @TheReGenLab

Profile

ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4137-3770

Professor Dell’Accio is a clinical rheumatologist and a scientist whose interest is focused on regenerative medicine and osteoarthritis. He characterized the molecular cascade activated by injury to the articular cartilage and, starting from this screening, has identified several therapeutic targets that, in animal models, result in disease modification in osteoarthritis and in cartilage regeneration. The ultimate goal of his research is to develop pharmacological interventions to restore cartilage integrity and reduce pain in osteoarthritis and cartilage defects.

Research

Group members

  • Senior members: Prof Shafaq Sikandar (Senior Lecturer); Dr Suzanne Eldridge (Lecturer)
  • Junior members: Dr Anne-Sophie Thorup; Dr Magdalena Kaneva; Mr Jacob Wilson (Technician); Dr Manasi Sayilakshmy (Research Assistant); Dr Sara Caxaria (post-doc); Ms Petek Celik, (Research Assistant); Dr Alice Fuller, (Post-doc).
  • PhD students: Ms Aida Barawi (PhD student); Ms Sabah Bharde (PhD student); Ms Melody Deniz (PhD student); Dr Brian Herath (Clinical PhD Fellow)
  • Alumni: Dr Suzanne Eldridge; Dr Noha Eltawil; Dr Giovanna Nalesso; Professor Jessica Bertrand; Dr Joanna Sherwood; Dr Bethan Thomas; Dr Blandine Poulet

Summary

Professor Dell’Accio and his group investigate the molecular mechanisms that underpin the healing of skeletal tissues, and in particular to cartilage, with the ultimate aim of identifying possible therapeutic intervention to promote cartilage healing/supporting cartilage homeostasis in diseases such as isolated cartilage defects and osteoarthritis. Professor Dell’Accio’s group identified a distinct signalling response of adult human articular cartilage to mechanical injury. Individual signalling molecules and pathways identified by this screening are being tested in vitro and in vivo for their function in cartilage biology and joint surface repair.  In vivo models include surgical models of osteoarthritis and cartilage injury/regeneration developed in our laboratory. He is now exploring the biological function of such mechanisms for cartilage homeostasis how we can exploit them to protect cartilage from degradation in arthritis. Working in close collaboration with Dr S Sikandar, he is exploring the mechanisms of pain in osteoarthritis.

Publications

  • Zhu L, Muhammad H, Perry TA et al. (2025). ABS0240 MECHANO-ACTIVATED CHONDROPROGENITORS (MACS) DERIVED FROM ARTICULAR CHONDROCYTES, WHICH DRIVE INTRINSIC CARTILAGE REPAIR. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
  • Sambale M, Lively S, Espin-Garcia O et al. (2025). TRPC1 links calcium signaling to cellular senescence in the protection against post-traumatic osteoarthritis. nameOfConference


  • Thomas BL, Montero‐Melendez T, Oggero S et al. (2024). Molecular Determinants of Neutrophil Extracellular Vesicles That Drive Cartilage Regeneration in Inflammatory Arthritis. nameOfConference


  • Dell'Accio F, De Bari C, Firestein GS et al. (2024). Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
  • Dajas-Bailador F, Chapman V, Lucci C et al. (2024). 069 INTRA-ARTICULAR ADMINISTRATION OF AGRIN INDUCES RAPID AND SUSTAINED PAIN RELIEF IN OSTEOARTHRITIS. nameOfConference


  • Asgarian R, Schäfer A, Gronewold R et al. (2024). 645 FUNCTIONAL INTERACTION OF CXCR2 AND β1-INTEGRIN SIGNALING IN THE REGULATION OF CARTILAGE HOMEOSTASIS. nameOfConference


  • Richter E, Lohmann CH, Dell’Accio F et al. (publicationYear). Sortilin Is Upregulated in Osteoarthritis-Dependent Cartilage Calcification and Associated with Cellular Senescence. nameOfConference


  • Deniz M, Pour LH, Thorup AS et al. (2023). AB0036 HIGH THROUGHPUT siRNA EFFICACY SCREENING USING FLUORESCENCE SYSTEM. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
  • Dell'Accio F, De Bari C (2023). Towards disease modification in osteoarthritis. nameOfConference


  • Caxaria S, Bharde S, Fuller AM et al. (2023). Neutrophils infiltrate sensory ganglia and mediate chronic widespread pain in fibromyalgia. nameOfConference


View profile publication page

Sponsors

 

Collaborators

Internal

External

  • Dr Tonia Vincent (Oxford)
  • Dr George Bou-Gharios (Oxford)
  • Professor Thomas Pap (Muenster, Germany)
  • Professor Georg Schett (Erlangen, Germany)
  • Professor Cosimo De Bari (Aberdeen)
  • Professor Andrew McMahon (Harvard, US)

News

September 2020

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