Our inaugural Science Park Christmas Lecture will be presented by Professor Richard Oreffo, one of the UK’s leading skeletal stem cell experts. This new tradition will become an annual ENGAGE event and aims to provide a unique insight into cutting edge science and technologies that affect us all. The lecture is designed to challenge, inspire and inform with a chance for audience members to ask questions following the presentation.

Professor Richard Oreffo is Chair of Musculoskeletal Science and Co-founder of the Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration at the University of Southampton. With more than 70,000 hip, 50,000 forearm and 40,000 spine fractures in the UK every year, Professor Oreffo and his team at the University of Southampton are developing unique techniques to combine stem cells with scaffolds to make a living composite for bone repair and application. In 2014 Richard was part of a team that used stem cell grafts to connect a 3D printed titanium hip to the damaged bone of a woman whose pelvis had been severely damaged in a car accident.

In this lecture, Professor Oreffo will explore the challenges and opportunities in this exciting field. He will present on themes within his current research on bone stem cell isolation, scaffold and niche development and innovative use of surface topographies to change stem cell fate all with a focus on translation to the clinic. To find out more about his work visit: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/medicine/about/staff/roco.page and www.stemcells.org.uk

Networking with mulled wine and mince pies conclude the evening.