The STARSTEM consortium gathered from all points in Europe at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. for the fourth plenary meeting on July 12th, 2019. Alongside the meeting where updates and future plans were discussed, a thorough project review took place.

STARSTEM Coordinator Prof Martin Leahy, TOMI-NUI Galway shares his reflections on the meeting below. The visiting research groups were particularly struck by the sight of Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree on campus.

Sir Isaac Newton’s Apple Tree

“As a young physics student with an interest in medicine, one could only dream of the possibility of being involved with great scientists, clinicians and engineers in a project which will help lame people to walk. We have just finished our midterm review of the STARSTEM project. I always say that you don’t have to like the people you work with but it does help. We have an extraordinary team of scientists clinicians and engineers working towards advancing stem cell and extracellular vesicle therapies for osteoarthritis. The reviewer was convinced, not only by the weight of work done to date but by the way in which the team interacted and supported each other. We have extraordinary challenges ahead but we have the right team to address them.”