Dr. Rebecca Rolfe
Assistant Professor, Zoology
Biography
Dr. Rebecca Rolfe is a Physiologist specialising in Developmental Biology research that aims to advance the understanding of congenital conditions in which foetal movements are abnormal and apply information gained from developing tissues to design strategies for the repair and regeneration of biological systems. Rebecca's interests in morphological form and function are central in her research questions.
Dr Rolfe began her studies in physiology, graduating from the Physiology Department in Trinity College Dublin (2008). Her interest in Developmental Biology began during her time studying her research masters in Biomedicine in the Institute of child health and Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London (2010), where she worked on neural and retinal development. She undertook her interdisciplinary doctoral research within the Developmental Biology and Bioengineering groups in Trinity College Dublin, examining the identification of genes that respond to mechanical stimulation, during skeletal development. She then continued this interest in how mechanical stimulation influences skeletal development during her Leverhulme funded postdoctoral research in the bioengineering department in Imperial College London, with research investigating the importance of fetal movements in spine development.
Rebecca later returned to Trinity College Dublin as a research and teaching fellow (2016-2021), during this time began examining the plasticity of the developing musculoskeletal system, investigating how periods of induced mobility following paralysis might lead to improved outcomes for the development of the skeleton. Current research involves my expertise in mechanoregulation and applying it to identify the structural changes and biological mechanisms that drive normal embryonic tendon development. The aim of this highly innovative approach is to use this knowledge to enhance the maturation of tissue-engineered tendon constructs via nanoparticle gene delivery. Rebecca is interested in widening this investigation to examine spinal ligaments and new work is examining the morphological development of these tissues, with a keen interest to understand the contribution of these tissues to spinal deformities.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
S. Hennigan, E. T. Basturkmen and R. A. Rolfe, Characterisation of spinal ligaments in the embryonic chick, Journal of Anatomy, 2025
Benjamin E. Peterson, Maria L. Canonicco Castro, Helen McCarthy, Niamh Buckley, Nicholas Dunne ,Rebecca Rolfe, Paula Murphy, Spencer E. Szczesny, Structural Determinants of Tendon Function During Development and Their Sensitivity to Mechanical Stimulation, Acta Biomaterialia, 2024
Rolfe RA, Basturkmen EB, Sliney L, Hayden G, Dunne N, Buckley N, McCarthy H, Szczesney SE, and Murphy P., Embryo Movement is required for limb tendon maturation, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2024
Building a Co-ordinated Musculoskeletal System: The Plasticity of the Developing Skeleton in Response to Muscle Contractions in, editor(s)Boris Kablar , Roles of Skeletal Muscle in Organ Development, Springer Nature, 2023, [Paula Murphy and Rebecca Rolfe]
Haley R. Dolton, Andrew L. Jackson, Robert Deaville, Jackie Hall , Graham Hall , Gavin McManus , Matthew W. Perkins , Rebecca A. Rolfe , Edward P. Snelling , Jonathan D. R. Houghton , David W. Sims Nicholas L. Payne, Regionally endothermic traits in planktivorous basking sharks Cetorhinus maximus, Endangered Species Research, 51, 2023, p227 - 232
Rolfe, RA. Shea, CA. and Murphy P., Geometric analysis of chondrogenic self-organisation of embryonic limb bud cells in micromass culture., Cell and Tissue Research , 2022
Bridglal DL, Boyle CJ, Rolfe RA, Nowlan NC., Quantifying the tolerance of chick hip joint development to temporary paralysis and the potential for recovery., Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists, 250, (3), 2021, p450-464
Peterson BE., Rolfe RA., Kunselman A., Murphy P., and Szczesny S., Mechanical Stimulation via Muscle Activity is Necessary for the Maturation of Tendon Multiscale Mechanics during Embryonic Development, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology , 2021, p10.3389/fcell.2021.725563
Rolfe, RA. Scanlon-O' Callaghan, D. and Murphy P., Joint development recovery on resumption of embryonic movement following paralysis, Disease Models and Mechanisms , 14, (4), 2021, phttps://doi.org/10.1242/dmm.04
Shea C.A., Rolfe R.A., McNeill H., AND Murphy P., Localization of YAP activity in developing skeletal rudiments is responsive to mechanical stimulation, Developmental Dynamics , 249, (4), 2020, p523 - 542
A. Levillain , R.A. Rolfe, Y. Huang, J.C. Iatridis and N.C. Nowlan , SHORT-TERM FOETAL IMMOBILITY TEMPORALLY AND PROGRESSIVELY AFFECTS CHICK SPINAL CURVATURE AND ANATOMY AND RIB DEVELOPMENT, eCELLS and MATERIALS, 37, 2019, p23 - 31
Sotiriou, V., Rolfe, RA., Murphy, P., Nowlan C, Effects of abnormal muscle forces on prenatal joint morphogenesis in mice, Jounral of Orthopaedic Research, 37, (11), 2019, p2287 - 2296
Techniques for Studying Mechanobiology in, Mechanobiology in Health and Disease , Elsivier, 2018, [Rebecca A. Rolfe]
Singh, P., Shea, C., Sonker, SK., Rolfe, R., Ray, A., Kumar, S., Gupta, P., Murphy, P. Bandyopadhyay, A., Precise spatial restriction of BMP signaling in developing joints is perturbed upon loss of embryo movement, Development, 145, (5), 2018, pdev153460-
Rolfe RA, Shea CA, Singh PNP, Bandyopadhyay A, Murphy P, Investigating the mechanistic basis of biomechanical input controlling skeletal development: exploring the interplay with Wnt signalling at the joint, Philisophical Transactions of the Royal society, 2018
Saha, A., Rolfe, R., Carroll, S., Kelly, D.J., Murphy, P., Chondrogenesis of embryonic limb bud cells in micromass culture progresses rapidly to hypertrophy and is modulated by hydrostatic pressure, Cell and Tissue Research, 368, (1), 2017, p47-59
Rebecca A Rolfe, James H Bezer, Tyler Kim, Ahmed Z Zaidon, Michelle L Oyen, James C Iatridis, Niamh C Nowlan, Abnormal fetal muscle forces result in defects in spinal curvature and alterations in vertebral segmentation and shape, Journal Orthop Research, 35, (10), 2017, p2135 - 2144
CA Shea, RA Rolfe, P Murphy, The importance of foetal movement for co-ordinated cartilage and bone development in utero, Bone and Joint Research, 4, (7), 2015, p105 - 116
Rolfe, R.A., Kenny, E.M., Cormican, P., Murphy, P., Transcriptome analysis of the mouse E14.5 (TS23) developing humerus and differential expression in muscle-less mutant embryos lacking mechanical stimulation, Genomics Data, 2, 2014, p32-36
Rolfe,Rebecca A. , Nowlan,Niamh C. , Kenny,Elaine M. , Cormican,Paul , Morris,Derek W. , Prendergast, Patrick J. ., Kelly, Daniel John ., Murphy, P., Identification of mechanosensitive genes during skeletal development: Alteration of genes associated with cytoskeletal rearrangement and cell signalling pathways, BMC Genomics, 15, (1), 2014, p48-
Rolfe Rebecca, Roddy Karen, and Murphy Paula, Mechanical Regulation of Skeletal Development , Current Osteoporosis Reports, 11, (2), 2013, p107 - 116
Vinardell T, Rolfe RA, Buckley CT, Meyer EG, Ahearne M, Murphy P, Kelly DJ, Hydrostatic pressure acts to stabilise a chondrogenic phenotype in porcine joint tissue derived stem cells., European Cells & Materials, 23, 2012, p121-134
Research Expertise
Description
Spinal ligaments from development to adolescence. Understanding the role of spinal ligaments in the Pathogenesis of Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Mechanical regulation of spinal ligaments. Tendon morphogenesis: can we learn from the embryo and apply for regeneration. Role of mechanical stimulation during musculoskeletal development? How do tissues derive their distinct identities? Can knowledge obtained from the embryo be applied to in vitro differentiation regimes to engineer tissue, and be applied to help improve knowledge of congenital abnormalities for medial application? Geometric morphometrics of vertebral shape: is biomechanical input required for correct spinal curvature? Plasticity of the developing musculoskeletal system: implications for orthopaedic healthProjects
- Title
- Stability in the Spine
- Summary
- This project seeks to investigate spinal ligaments, examining the morphological, molecular and biomechanical development of these tissues, from embryonic to adolescence, with a keen interest to understand the contribution of these tissues to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
- Funding Agency
- Cotrel Foundation
- Date From
- 2025
- Date To
- 2027
Recognition
Awards and Honours
Trinity College Dublin Research Doctorate Award