MSCs as therapeutics

Abstract

Marrow has long been recognized as a source of osteoprogenitor cells. Such cells are a member of a heterogeneous group of cells that I have termed mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) because they can be induced to form a number of differentiated mesenchymal cell types. With the realization that many of these MSCs are perivascular cells, pericytes, also comes the realization that they secrete a large array of bioactive molecules that are immunomodulatory and trophic. In this context, the differentiation capabilities are less important than their medicinal capacity and their regenerative potential in a number of diseases and medical conditions. Thus, we propose the suggestion that they could be called medicinal signaling cells (MSCs).