Abstract

The concept of bone tissue engineering, which began in the early 1980s, has seen tremendous growth in the numbers of research studies. One of the key areas of research has been in the field of mesenchymal stem cells, where the challenge is to produce the perfect tissue-engineered bone construct. This practical review summarizes basic and applied state-of-the-art research in the area of mesenchymal stem cells, and highlights the important translational research that has already been initiated. The topics that will be covered include the sources of stem cells in use, scaffolds, gene therapy, clinical applications in nonunions, tumors, osteonecrosis, revision arthroplasties, and spine fusion. Although significant challenges remain, there exists an exceptional opportunity to translate basic research in mesenchymal stem cell technologies into viable clinical treatments for bone regeneration.

View details for DOI 10.1002/jbm.b.31199

View details for Web of Science ID 000264460200029