Elena Jones

Elena Jones is an Associate Professor in Stem Cell Biology at the University of Leeds, affiliated with the School of Medicine and the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine. Her research focuses on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone and cartilage regeneration, osteoarthritis, and regenerative medicine applications in orthopaedics. She holds a BSc in Immunology and a PhD in Experimental Oncology, with postdoctoral training in gene therapy using MSCs.

Key research contributions include identifying the CD271+ phenotype of native MSCs and discovering MSCs in human synovial fluid, methodologies now used clinically. Current projects explore MSC-based strategies for bone repair, osteoarthritis treatment, and novel biomaterials like chitosan scaffolds. She supervises postgraduate researchers and teaches on modules like Stem Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering (DSUR5072M).

Dr. Jones collaborates with industry on clinical-grade MSC processes and has pioneered intraoperative MSC mobilization techniques. Her work addresses aging-related bone disorders, diabetic MSC dysfunction, and the role of extracellular vesicles in joint repair. She actively contributes to rheumatology and musculoskeletal disease research networks.