About
Professor Richard O C Oreffo (DPhil DSc (Oxon) FMedSci OBE) is an academic entrepreneur. Richard is founder/CSO of Renovos Biologics Limited, a company pioneering the use of synthetic nanoclay gels in regenerative orthopaedic applications. Professor Emeritus of Musculoskeletal Science at the University of Southampton, Richard has trained 56 MD/PhD interdisciplinary scientists, published widely (>350 papers) and holds 9 patents. Richard was awarded a Doctor of Science by the University of Oxford in bone regenerative medicine and is a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
In 2020, Richard founded, The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation, a partnership with universities, business, and donors to enable over 100 talented disadvantaged Black British students attend UK universities.
Richard was awarded an OBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours for services to education equality and musculoskeletal science.
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Skeletal Regenerative MedicineSkeletal Stem Cells
Current research
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Research challenge: The Bone and Joint Research Group has demonstrated the efficacy of using patients’ own bone stem cells together with innovative biocompatible scaffolds to transform approaches to orthopaedic treatment. Starting in 2002, Professor Richard Oreffo demonstrated that a patient’s own stem cells had a large capacity to form bone in vitro. He was able to isolate human skeletal stem cells and optimise their expansion and characterisation by identifying the physical conditions necessary to optimise their growth. Together with Professor Douglas Dunlop, Professor Oreffo demonstrated the survival and applicability of using a patient’s own cells in bone impaction grafting in in vivo models and in human patients. To facilitate large bone repair defects, they combined stem cells and bone graft with 3D printed scaffold templates.
Improving quality of life for hard-to-treat patients through pioneering, cost-saving changes to clinical practice
The research led to the first patient in the UK being treated with a stem cell-augmented 3D-printed hip replacement in 2014.Subsequently, over 25 patients have been treated in Southampton using this technique, some of whom contacted the team directly after reading the wide press coverage of the first procedure.
A review of 20 patients in 2020 showed no one needed to have their implant replaced, or had suffered any dislocations or fractures.
Research projects
Active projects
Completed projects
Publications
Teaching
Supervision of Graduate students and Post-doctoral fellows: 2000-Present: Supervised over 26 research fellows & 56 PhD/MD fellows to completion. Supervise, as of September 2024, 5 PhD/MD fellows.
Biography
Richard is Emeritus Professor of Musculoskeletal Science and was co-founder and inaugural director of the Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration. He held positions in USA, AstraZeneca, University of Oxford before being appointed at the University of Southampton. Richard is internationally recognised for his work on skeletal biology and the mechanisms involved in skeletal stem cell differentiation and bone regeneration with a focus on bone & cartilage repair with translation through to patient benefit a personal key driver. His research led to the first 3D titanium bone stem impaction graft operation in the UK.
He is founder / CSO and a Director at Renovos Biologics Limited, transforming orthopaedics and regenerative medicine through pioneering use of nanoclay gels. Richard is on the editorial boards of five journals, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and in 2015 was awarded a DSc by the University of Oxford. Richard is a Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Richard has published >350 peer-reviewed full papers (H-index 82; >25,695 citations ISI WoS; H-index 94 and >35,275 citations Google Scholar; Jan 2005). Richard holds 9 patents and is co-editor of “Epigenetic aspects of Chronic Diseases” Highly commended in the BMA Medical Book Awards. He serves / has served on a number of Research Council Committees, Industrial committees and international advisory boards and holds a number of visiting professorships in Australia and Asia.
Richard is the Founder of The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation that has raised over £4.2M enabling, to date, over 50 talented socio-economically disadvantaged Black British students to attend universities in the UK on full scholarships.
Richard was awarded an OBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours for services to education equality and musculoskeletal science
Prizes
- Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research (FIOR) (2019)
- DSc (2016)
- Raine Visiting Professorship (2014)
- Adjunct Chair, School of Biomedical Sciences (2018)
- Visiting and Adjunct Senior Professor (2020) (2015)
- Visiting Professor (2015)
- Senior Enterprise award (2014)
- Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2022)
- Fellow of The Academy of Medical Sciences (2022)