Dr Stephen J Matcher
BSc PhD
Reader in Biomedical Engineering
Address:
The Kroto Research Institute
North Campus
University of Sheffield
Broad Lane
Sheffield
S3 7HQ
Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 5994
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 5945
Email: s.j.matcher@sheffield.ac.uk
Steve Matcher joined the department as lecturer in biomedical engineering in October 2006. Previously he was with the biomedical physics group at the University of Exeter and before that he worked as a research fellow at the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London.
Research interests
Steve Matcher's main interest is in the development and application of novel biophotonic tools to aid the characterisation of biological tissues. Photonics offers many unique advantages over other imaging techniques for studying biological systems, including structural and functional contrast, cellular level resolution, speed, non-destructiveness and cost. The group´s work focuses on techniques offering high resolution such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and non-linear laser scanning microscopy. Facilities include Doppler and polarisation OCT systems plus supercontinuum and titanium-sapphire light sources to allow cellular resolution OCT imaging. The group works closely with the Tissue Engineering group within the Kroto Institute (Prof S MacNeil) and with the III-V device fabrication group within Dept of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Prof R Hogg). He is a member of the EU FP7 project "FASTDOT". Ongoing collaborative links also exist with the Dental School (Dr A Crawford, Dr K Hunter) and with the Dept of Mechanical Engineering (Dr Roger Lewis and Dr Matt Carré). He has provided consultancy services to GlaxoSmithKline and is presently working with Kirkstall Ltd (a bioreactor developer). He is currently undertaking a Royal Academy of Engineering industrial secondment with Michelson Diagnostics Ltd, a leading developer of clinical OCT imaging equipment.
Key projects
- Structural characterisation of natural and synthetic connective tissue using polarization OCT.
- Visualisation of extracellular matrix production using non-linear optical microscopy.
- Monitoring of tissue formation in bioreactors using ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography.
- Development of contrast agents for optical imaging.
- Development of novel light sources for OCT imaging.
Professional activities and recognition
- Member of EPSRC peer-review college.
- Member of SPIE, OSA, BMS & BSMB.
Key publications
- Matcher, S J, ‘Practical aspects of OCT imaging in tissue engineering’, Methods Mol. Biol., 695: 261-80 (2011).
- N Ugryumova, J Jacobs, M Bonesi and S J Matcher, ‘Novel optical imaging technique to determine the 3D orientation of collagen fibers in cartilage: variable-incidence-angle polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography’, Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 17(1): 33-42 (2009).
- J C Mansfield, C P Winlove, J M Moger and S J Matcher, ‘Collagen Fibre Arrangement in Normal and Diseased Cartilage studied by Polarization Sensitive Non-Linear Microscopy’, J. Biomed. Opt., 13(4): 044020 (2008).
- Moger J, Matcher S.J., Winlove C.P. and Shore A.C., 'Measuring red blood cell flow dynamics in a glass capillary using Doppler optical coherence tomography and Doppler amplitude optical coherence tomography', J. Biomed. Opt., 9(5): 982-994 (2004).
- Matcher S.J., Winlove C.P. and Gangnus S.V., 'The collagen structure of bovine intervertebral disc studied using polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography', Phys. Med. Biol., 49: 1295-1306 (2004).
Research group
Dr Zenghai Lu (PDRA)
TBA(PDRA)
Ms Deepa Kasaragod (PhD)
Ms Xiaoxiao Lu (PhD)
Mr James Jacobs(PhD)
Research centres
Centre for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
EPSRC National Centre for III-V Technologies