Musculoskeletal tissue engineering with skeletal muscle-derived stem cells - Artificial Cells, Cell Engineering and Therapy - page 172

7
Musculoskeletal tissue engineering with skeletal
muscle-derived stem cells

K A CORSI and J HUARD,University of Pittsburgh, USA

7.1 Introduction

Despite numerous medical breakthroughs and the emergence of new techno-
logies that allow faster translation of scientific discoveries from bench-top to
bedside, there still remains progress to be made in alleviating the chronic pain
and physical disability associated with musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.
Currently there are no cures for genetic disorders such as muscular
dystrophies or osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), which affect the musculoskeletal
system. Muscular dystrophies are inherited disorders characterized by defects in
the dystrophin gene. The resultant lack of dystrophin, a structural protein,
ultimately leads to muscle weakness followed by respiratory and cardiac failure.
In the case of OI, there is a point mutation in the type I collagen gene, a
necessary component of the bone matrix. The lack of this gene results in
individuals having brittle bones that are prone to fractures. Researchers are
investigating several approaches to restore the defective or missing gene, but the
search for novel alternatives is ongoing. 1
Large bone defects or non-union fractures that do not heal on their own are
another problem confronting clinicians. The clinical management of such
defects is complicated and often requires multiple procedures with unpredictable
results. The same can be said of diseases or injuries affecting articular cartilage,
as its avascular nature makes it unable to repair itself. The field of orthopaedics
is therefore being faced with the challenge of rapidly identifying treatment
options that would repair diseased or damaged tissue and return it to its original
state both structurally and functionally.
One treatment option that has received particular attention as a promising
future therapy is cell engineering and cell therapy for skeletal muscle, bone and
articular cartilage regeneration. The first section of this review focuses on the
important characteristics that must be taken into account when identifying an
optimal cell source and the various methods available to engineer the isolated
cells for therapeutic applications. The second section outlines the current