Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
41.1 Introduction
Currently, adult MSCs are used in a wide array of regenerative ther-
apies. Some of the therapeutic uses for MSCs include tissue engi-
neering using scaffolds, cell replacement for treatment of diseases
related to functionally impaired cells, and delivery and targeting
of MSCs to regions of interest by manipulating cell surfaces with
specific antibodies or proteins. A growing number of clinical trials
are currently being conducted to evaluate the therapeutic e cacy
and safety of MSCs (www.clinicaltrials.gov). 1 In particular, there is a
great deal of attention focused on the development of tissue engi-
neering therapies for the treatment of bone and cartilage tissue
defects that utilize MSCs, either alone or in combination with a
scaffold. 1 - 5 In order to establish successful tissue engineering ther-
apies, the growth characteristics of MSCs, as well as the ways in
which they respond to various biomaterials and bioactive factors,
need to be profoundly understood. Of prime importance is how to
obtain su cient quantities of MSCs and how to improve the safety
and functionality of MSCs for clinical applications in regenerative
medicine.
The characteristics of MSCs, such as their strong adherence to
culture plates and fibroblast-like morphology, facilitate the isola-
tion of cells from tissues. MSCs have been identified in and can
be isolated from a variety of tissues in the human body, including
bone marrow, blood, adipose tissue, trabecular bone, muscle, and
dermis. 6 , 7 Although the initial isolation of MSCs can be achieved by
plastic adhesion, the obtained population of cells is heterogeneous
in both size and morphology, 8 and contains a mixture of cells at dif-
ferent commitment stages of the mesodermal lineage. 9 To isolate
a homogenous MSC population, clonal expansion by limited dilu-
tion is often used. Another isolation method that utilizes antibod-
ies against cell surface molecules has also been developed, but the
lackofaspecificmarkerinMSCsmakestheirisolationdi cult.Cur-
rently,cellsurfacemarkerssuchasCD29,CD44,CD49a,CD71,CD73,
CD90, CD105, CD146, CD166, CD271, and STRO-1 are used to iden-
tify MSCs. 9 - 11 However, it is still necessary to establish a specific
cell surface marker for the selection of a homogenous population of
MSCs and foruse in tracking MSCs after transplantation.
 
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