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Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy: Clinical Progress and Opportunities for Advancement

  • Tissue Engineering and Regeneration, (Bryan Brown and Christopher Dearth, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Pathobiology Reports

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (or multipotent stem cells—MSCs) are multipotent cells that were initially thought to serve as progenitor cells in tissue remodeling, and are now primarily investigated for their immunomodulatory potential in regenerative medicine approaches. MSCs suppress numerous cell types of the immune system primarily through secretion of paracrine mediators. They have been investigated for their ability to enhance allograft survival, and for the treatment of osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease. A polarization paradigm where different priming stimuli, reflective of an injured tissue, induce either a pro-inflammatory or immunosuppressive MSC phenotype, provides the potential for manipulating MSCs to obtain more predictable clinical effects. There is a tremendous clinical need and numerous clinical trials are underway using allogeneic MSCs, despite evidence that allogeneic MSCs can be immunogenic. Further laboratory and clinical studies will continue to refine and optimize MSC therapy for a wide variety of regenerative medicine applications.

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Acknowledgments

The referenced work from the authors of this manuscript was supported by Empire State Stem Cell Fund Contract #C024400 (LAF), the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Inc. (LAF), stipend funding from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (JMC), and National Institutes of Health Grant #1K08AR060875-01A1 (LVS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. VMC C3-104, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Jennifer M. Cassano

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA

    Lauren V. Schnabel

  3. Tulane Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, 1430 Tulane Ave., SL-99, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Aline M. Betancourt

  4. WibiWorks Therapeutics, 3210 Merryfield Row, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA

    Aline M. Betancourt

  5. Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Douglas F. Antczak

  6. VMC C3-181, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Lisa A. Fortier

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  1. Jennifer M. Cassano
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  2. Lauren V. Schnabel
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  3. Aline M. Betancourt
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  4. Douglas F. Antczak
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  5. Lisa A. Fortier
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Correspondence to Lisa A. Fortier.

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This article is part of the Topical collection on Tissue Engineering and Regeneration.

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Cassano, J.M., Schnabel, L.V., Betancourt, A.M. et al. Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy: Clinical Progress and Opportunities for Advancement. Curr Pathobiol Rep 3, 1–7 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40139-015-0064-4

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