In this Horizon Europe project, the PROTO consortium will treat early-stage knee OA patients with local intra-articular injections of placental stromal cells (PLX-PAD). This is a novel allogeneic cell therapy product with distinct anti-inflammatory properties and the potential to halt or revert disease progression. The PROTO consortium intends to apply this novel cell therapy developed by Pluristem Ltd. in Haifa, Israel to prevent disease progression in OA by reducing joint inflammation, restoring physiological homeostasis, and facilitating articulation and movement. This will be the first application of PLX-PAD as an intra-articular injection in the knees of early OA patients.