Bone marrow stromal cells: from the bench to the clinic

摘要

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) are non-hematopoietic cells residing in the marrow cavity. They are fibroblastic in shape and retain the ability to adhere to the culture dish and to form colonies. BMSC have been shown to differentiate under appropriate environmental conditions into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes and hematopoiesis-supportive stroma. Given the extreme plasticity of this cell population and the convenience of their harvest and isolation they appear to be very well-suited for clinical applications. This article reviews the efforts made by this laboratory to gain a better understanding of the BMSC biology, to establish the most effective culture conditions up to the use of BMSC to repair critical-size bone defects.