Matthew Allen

Professor Matthew Allen serves as Professor of Small Animal Surgery within the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, part of the School of Biological Sciences. His research focuses on preclinical and clinical aspects of the musculoskeletal system with particular emphasis on surgical applications.

Professor Allen's research program spans five major interconnected themes:

• Musculoskeletal Cancer - investigating pathophysiology of primary and metastatic bone cancers, with special focus on pediatric bone cancers (osteosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma) and effects of cancer treatments on skeletal health
• Bone Regeneration and Implant Fixation - studying long-term success of total joint replacement and percutaneous skeletal fixation
• Musculoskeletal Biomechanics - utilizing advanced facilities including reference point indentation, force plate analysis, and 3D motion capture
• Orthopaedic Infection - developing new methods for preventing and treating implant-related infections, particularly those involving multi-drug resistant organisms
• Comparative Clinical Research - leveraging veterinary clinical trials to accelerate drug and device validation for both human and animal patients

His laboratory maintains significant capabilities in both small and large animal models, with particular expertise in rodent models for cancer research and advanced biomechanical testing. The department recently acquired a robotic joint simulator for 6DOF testing of elbow and knee joints. Professor Allen is available for consultancy work related to his research specialties and maintains active collaborations across veterinary and human medical research fields.