Pluripotent Stem Cells and Skeletal Regeneration--Promise and Potential

The bone is a regenerative tissue, capable of healing itself after fractures. However, some circumstances such as critical-size defects, malformations, and tumor destruction may exceed the skeleton's capacity for self-repair. In addition, bone mass and strength decline with age, leading to an increase in fragility fractures. Therefore, the ability to generate large numbers of patient-specific osteoblasts would have enormous clinical implications for the treatment of skeletal defects and diseases. This review will highlight recent advances in the derivation of pluripotent stem cells, and in their directed differentiation towards bone-forming osteoblasts.