Skeletal ("mesenchymal") stem cells for tissue engineering

Skeletal stem cells (SSCs, commonly referred to as "mesenchymal" stem cells) are found in the bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) fraction of post-natal bone marrow. They can be isolated in culture as adherent, clonogenic cells endowed with the ability to grow and differentiate into multiple lineages, all of which correspond to tissues that are integral parts of the skeleton. The multipotency of SSCs is probed by in vivo transplantation assays. The ability of SSCs to generate a cell strain competent to form significant amounts of bone in vivo has led to the formulation of preclinical models of bone repair.