Mesenchymal stem cells and tissue engineering for orthopaedic surgery

Bone marrow contains multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that can differentiate into different mesenchymal lineages whose end-stage cells fabricate bone, cartilage, tendon, fat, and other connective tissues. Our laboratory has been focusing on the purification, culture expansion, the in vivo and the in vitro characterization of MSCs and their descendants. Given the large number of MSCs that can be generated, we have explored their use in different pre-clinical models utilizing the therapeutic potentials of MSCs for musculoskeletal disorders. Using newly evolved tissue engineering principals, we have focus on the treatment of full thickness cartilage damage and, separately, bone non-union. The experimental results suggest the MSCs may provide a powerful therapeutic tool for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Future efforts should be made to establish reliable and standardized full-scale clinical approaches using MSCs for orthopaedic surgery.