Microscope image of fluorescent cells on trabeculae

Research group

Bone and Joint Research Group

We explore new technologies and treatments to promote the repair and regeneration of bones and cartilage. Our research cuts across the boundaries of the biological, medical and physical sciences.

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About

After injury, or as a result of disease or old age, our bones and joints may not heal properly. Our aim is to provide better treatments to promote the regeneration of the tissues that make up our skeletons so we can remain active and pain free throughout our lives.

We are primarily biologists, but our expertise ranges across the boundaries of different fields of research, including engineering, physics, chemistry and mathematics. To achieve our aims, we collaborate closely with other teams with complimentary expertise at the University of Southampton and beyond.

Our main research areas include:

skeletal stem cell biology
biomaterials science, including nanoclays and polymer scaffolds
drug delivery
bone and cartilage physiology, ‘organotypic’ and preclinical translational models of disease

Our research is inherently translational, and we have close connections with partners outside the academic world, including with companies such as Renovos and GE Healthcare and with the Defence Science and Technology laboratories and University Hospital Southampton.

An extreme close-up of the tip of an injection needle, with a drop of nanoclay sitting at the tip.

Using nanoclay gel to regrow, repair and replace damaged cells

Southampton researchers have developed an innovative medical clay that can be used to apply regenerative medicine to patients with musculoskeletal conditions.