Biography

Dr Raftery has degrees in Anatomy (BSc), and Regenerative Medicine (MSc) from the University of Galway, and a PhD in Tissue Engineering from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) where she developed non-viral gene-activated scaffolds for bone and cartilage regeneration. She has recently returned to Ireland following a 5-year research fellowship at Harvard Medical School where she studied the development of articular cartilage using human pluripotent stem cells. This work led to fundamental insights into the molecular mechanisms of articular cartilage development and disease pathogenesis. During her PhD and post-doctoral fellowship, Dr Raftery was also project manager for multiple preclinical studies and has received research funding from Science Foundation Ireland, the European Commission under Horizon 2020, and the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Research Interests

I have recently returned to Ireland from the USA after a 5-year research fellowship at Harvard Medical School where I studied the development of articular cartilage using human pluripotent stem cells. This work led to fundamental insights into the molecular mechanisms of articular cartilage development and disease pathogenesis. With a background in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, I now aim to understand how cartilage cells sense and respond to damage, with the goal of developing new approaches for regenerative medicine.
Research interests;
- Stem cell biology
- Developmental biology
- Transcriptomics
- Natural biomaterials
- Manufacture of gene delivery vectors and scaffolds
- Gene therapy
- Bone and cartilage biology in health and disease

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2024) 'Mobilizing Endogenous Progenitor Cells Using pSDF1a-Activated Scaffolds Accelerates Angiogenesis and Bone Repair in Critical-Sized Bone Defects'
Raftery RM;Gonzalez Vazquez AG;Walsh DP;Chen G;Laiva AL;Keogh MB;O'Brien FJ; (2024) 'Mobilizing Endogenous Progenitor Cells Using pSDF1a-Activated Scaffolds Accelerates Angiogenesis and Bone Repair in Critical-Sized Bone Defects'. Advanced Healthcare Materials, [DOI] [Details]
(2024) 'Regenerative capacity of human pluripotent stem cell-derived articular chondrocytes in vitro'
Raftery RM;Pregizer SK;Kocher S;Craft AM; (2024) 'Regenerative capacity of human pluripotent stem cell-derived articular chondrocytes in vitro'. Journal Of Orthopaedic Research, 42 (8) [DOI] [Details]
(2023) 'Dual Scaffold Delivery of miR-210 Mimic and miR-16 Inhibitor Enhances Angiogenesis and Osteogenesis to Accelerate Bone Healing'
Castaño IM;Raftery RM;Chen G;Cavanagh B;Quinn B;Duffy GP;Curtin CM;O'Brien FJ; (2023) 'Dual Scaffold Delivery of miR-210 Mimic and miR-16 Inhibitor Enhances Angiogenesis and Osteogenesis to Accelerate Bone Healing'. Acta Biomaterialia, [DOI] [Details]
(2023) 'Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into articular cartilage reveals effects caused by absence of WISP3, the gene responsible for progressive pseudorheumatoid arthropathy of childhood'
Li C;Alemany-Ribes M;Raftery RM;Nwoko U;Warman ML;Craft AM; (2023) 'Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into articular cartilage reveals effects caused by absence of WISP3, the gene responsible for progressive pseudorheumatoid arthropathy of childhood'. Annals of The Rheumatic Diseases, [DOI] [Details]
(2023) 'Lineage-specific differences and regulatory networks governing human chondrocyte development'
Richard D;Pregizer S;Venkatasubramanian D;Raftery RM;Muthuirulan P;Liu Z;Capellini TD;Craft AM; (2023) 'Lineage-specific differences and regulatory networks governing human chondrocyte development'. Elife, 12 [DOI] [Details]
(2021) 'In vitro vascularization of tissue engineered constructs by non-viral delivery of pro-angiogenic genes'
Moreira HR;Raftery RM;da Silva LP;Cerqueira MT;Reis RL;Marques AP;O'Brien FJ; (2021) 'In vitro vascularization of tissue engineered constructs by non-viral delivery of pro-angiogenic genes'. Biomaterials Science, 9 (6) [DOI] [Details]
(2021) 'Accelerating bone healing in vivo by harnessing the age-altered activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3'
González-Vázquez A;Raftery RM;Günbay S;Chen G;Murray DJ;O'Brien FJ; (2021) 'Accelerating bone healing in vivo by harnessing the age-altered activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3'. Biomaterials, 268 [DOI] [Details]
(2021) 'Gene activated scaffolds incorporating star-shaped polypeptide-pDNA nanomedicines accelerate bone tissue regeneration in vivo'
Walsh DP;Raftery RM;Murphy R;Chen G;Heise A;O'Brien FJ;Cryan SA; (2021) 'Gene activated scaffolds incorporating star-shaped polypeptide-pDNA nanomedicines accelerate bone tissue regeneration in vivo'. Biomaterials Science, 9 (14) [DOI] [Details]
(2021) 'Mechanobiology-informed regenerative medicine: Dose-controlled release of placental growth factor from a functionalized collagen-based scaffold promotes angiogenesis and accelerates bone defect healing'
Sheehy EJ;Miller GJ;Amado I;Raftery RM;Chen G;Cortright K;Vazquez AG;O'Brien FJ; (2021) 'Mechanobiology-informed regenerative medicine: Dose-controlled release of placental growth factor from a functionalized collagen-based scaffold promotes angiogenesis and accelerates bone defect healing'. Journal Of Controlled Release, 334 [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Rapid bone repair with the recruitment of CD206+M2-like macrophages using non-viral scaffold-mediated miR-133a inhibition of host cells'
Castaño IM;Raftery RM;Chen G;Cavanagh B;Quinn B;Duffy GP;O'Brien FJ;Curtin CM; (2020) 'Rapid bone repair with the recruitment of CD206+M2-like macrophages using non-viral scaffold-mediated miR-133a inhibition of host cells'. Acta Biomaterialia, 109 [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Activation of the SOX-5, SOX-6, and SOX-9 Trio of Transcription Factors Using a Gene-Activated Scaffold Stimulates Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Chondrogenesis and Inhibits Endochondral Ossification'
Raftery RM;Gonzalez Vazquez AG;Chen G;O'Brien FJ; (2020) 'Activation of the SOX-5, SOX-6, and SOX-9 Trio of Transcription Factors Using a Gene-Activated Scaffold Stimulates Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Chondrogenesis and Inhibits Endochondral Ossification'. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 9 (10) [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Highly versatile cell-penetrating peptide loaded scaffold for efficient and localised gene delivery to multiple cell types: From development to application in tissue engineering'
Raftery RM;Walsh DP;Blokpoel Ferreras L;Mencía Castaño I;Chen G;LeMoine M;Osman G;Shakesheff KM;Dixon JE;O'Brien FJ; (2019) 'Highly versatile cell-penetrating peptide loaded scaffold for efficient and localised gene delivery to multiple cell types: From development to application in tissue engineering'. Biomaterials, 216 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Transfection of autologous host cells in vivo using gene activated collagen scaffolds incorporating star-polypeptides'
Walsh DP;Raftery RM;Castaño IM;Murphy R;Cavanagh B;Heise A;O'Brien FJ;Cryan SA; (2019) 'Transfection of autologous host cells in vivo using gene activated collagen scaffolds incorporating star-polypeptides'. Journal Of Controlled Release, 304 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Rapid healing of a critical-sized bone defect using a collagen-hydroxyapatite scaffold to facilitate low dose, combinatorial growth factor delivery'
Walsh DP;Raftery RM;Chen G;Heise A;O'Brien FJ;Cryan SA; (2019) 'Rapid healing of a critical-sized bone defect using a collagen-hydroxyapatite scaffold to facilitate low dose, combinatorial growth factor delivery'. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 13 (10) [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Scaffold-Based Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics for Enhanced Bone and Cartilage Repair'
Kelly, Domhnall C.; Raftery, Rosanne M.; Curtin, Caroline M.; O’Driscoll, Caitriona M.; O’Brien, Fergal J. (2019) 'Scaffold-Based Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics for Enhanced Bone and Cartilage Repair'. Journal Of Orthopaedic Research, 37 (8):1671-1680 [ Publisher's Version] [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2018) 'Investigating the interplay between substrate stiffness and ligand chemistry in directing mesenchymal stem cell differentiation within 3D macro-porous substrates'
Haugh MG;Vaughan TJ;Madl CM;Raftery RM;McNamara LM;O'Brien FJ;Heilshorn SC; (2018) 'Investigating the interplay between substrate stiffness and ligand chemistry in directing mesenchymal stem cell differentiation within 3D macro-porous substrates'. Biomaterials, 171 [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'Bioinspired Star-Shaped Poly(l-lysine) Polypeptides: Efficient Polymeric Nanocarriers for the Delivery of DNA to Mesenchymal Stem Cells'
Walsh DP;Murphy RD;Panarella A;Raftery RM;Cavanagh B;Simpson JC;O'Brien FJ;Heise A;Cryan SA; (2018) 'Bioinspired Star-Shaped Poly(l-lysine) Polypeptides: Efficient Polymeric Nanocarriers for the Delivery of DNA to Mesenchymal Stem Cells'. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 15 (5) [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'Pro-angiogenic impact of SDF-1a gene-activated collagen-based scaffolds in stem cell driven angiogenesis'
Laiva AL;Raftery RM;Keogh MB;O'Brien FJ; (2018) 'Pro-angiogenic impact of SDF-1a gene-activated collagen-based scaffolds in stem cell driven angiogenesis'. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 544 (2) [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'Delivery of the improved BMP-2-Advanced plasmid DNA within a gene-activated scaffold accelerates mesenchymal stem cell osteogenesis and critical size defect repair'
Raftery RM;Mencía-Castaño I;Sperger S;Chen G;Cavanagh B;Feichtinger GA;Redl H;Hacobian A;O'Brien FJ; (2018) 'Delivery of the improved BMP-2-Advanced plasmid DNA within a gene-activated scaffold accelerates mesenchymal stem cell osteogenesis and critical size defect repair'. Journal Of Controlled Release, 283 [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'In vitro efficacy of a gene-activated nerve guidance conduit incorporating non-viral PEI-pDNA nanoparticles carrying genes encoding for NGF, GDNF and c-Jun'
Lackington WA;Raftery RM;O'Brien FJ; (2018) 'In vitro efficacy of a gene-activated nerve guidance conduit incorporating non-viral PEI-pDNA nanoparticles carrying genes encoding for NGF, GDNF and c-Jun'. Acta Biomaterialia, 75 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Translating the role of osteogenic-angiogenic coupling in bone formation: Highly efficient chitosan-pDNA activated scaffolds can accelerate bone regeneration in critical-sized bone defects'
Raftery RM;Mencía Castaño I;Chen G;Cavanagh B;Quinn B;Curtin CM;Cryan SA;O'Brien FJ; (2017) 'Translating the role of osteogenic-angiogenic coupling in bone formation: Highly efficient chitosan-pDNA activated scaffolds can accelerate bone regeneration in critical-sized bone defects'. Biomaterials, 149 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Delivering Nucleic-Acid Based Nanomedicines on Biomaterial Scaffolds for Orthopedic Tissue Repair: Challenges, Progress and Future Perspectives'
Raftery RM;Walsh DP;Castaño IM;Heise A;Duffy GP;Cryan SA;O'Brien FJ; (2016) 'Delivering Nucleic-Acid Based Nanomedicines on Biomaterial Scaffolds for Orthopedic Tissue Repair: Challenges, Progress and Future Perspectives'. Advanced Materials, Chemical Vapor Deposition, 28 (27) [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Multifunctional biomaterials from the sea: Assessing the effects of chitosan incorporation into collagen scaffolds on mechanical and biological functionality'
Raftery RM;Woods B;Marques ALP;Moreira-Silva J;Silva TH;Cryan SA;Reis RL;O'Brien FJ; (2016) 'Multifunctional biomaterials from the sea: Assessing the effects of chitosan incorporation into collagen scaffolds on mechanical and biological functionality'. Acta Biomaterialia, 43 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Nanoparticle-mediated siRNA delivery assessed in a 3D co-culture model simulating prostate cancer bone metastasis'
Fitzgerald, KA,Guo, JF,Raftery, RM,Castano, IM,Curtin, CM,Gooding, M,Darcy, R,Brien, FJO,Driscoll, CMO (2016) 'Nanoparticle-mediated siRNA delivery assessed in a 3D co-culture model simulating prostate cancer bone metastasis'. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 511 :1058-1069 [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'Development of a gene-activated scaffold platform for tissue engineering applications using chitosan-pDNA nanoparticles on collagen-based scaffolds'
Raftery RM;Tierney EG;Curtin CM;Cryan SA;O'Brien FJ; (2015) 'Development of a gene-activated scaffold platform for tissue engineering applications using chitosan-pDNA nanoparticles on collagen-based scaffolds'. Journal Of Controlled Release, 210 [DOI] [Details]
(2013) 'Chitosan for gene delivery and orthopedic tissue engineering applications'
Raftery R;O'Brien FJ;Cryan SA; (2013) 'Chitosan for gene delivery and orthopedic tissue engineering applications'. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 18 (5) [DOI] [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2023 Best Poster Award Gordon Research Conference
2019 Best Presentation Award Gordon Research Conference
2017 New Investigator Recognition Award Orthopedic Research Society
2016 Student and Young Scientist Society prize TERMIS

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) Member 01-JAN-12 /
Orthopedic Research Society Member 01-JAN-15 /
Anatomical Society Full member 01-OCT-16 /
International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Member 01-JAN-20 /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
University College Cork Lecturer 16-OCT-23 /
Harvard Medical School Research Fellow 01-OCT-18 / 01-SEP-23
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Postdoctoral Scientist 10-AUG-15 / 31-AUG-18

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2008 University of Galway BSc Anatomy
2011 University of Galway MSc Regenerative Medicine
2015 Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland PhD Tissue Engineering

Journal Activities

  Journal Role To / From
Journal Of Anatomy Editor 01-JUL-24 -

Teaching Interests

Programme director of the PG Certificate in Anatomy for Medical Device Development and UCC coordinator for a joint MSc with MTU in Medical Device Development

Teaching interests: Anatomy, orthopedics, cell biology, gene therapy, tissue engineering