Bone marrow stromal stem cells for tissue engineering

Although preliminary results have been achieved on many different fronts in applying BMSSC technology to tissue engineering, a tremendous amount of work still confronts researchers in this area. Whilst it is clear that BMSSC-mediated osteogenesis has the capacity to integrate with pre-existing bone tissue, substantial progress in this and other approaches needs to be achieved for the accurate reassembly of functional complex organ systems. Some of the main issues are identification of the optimal precursor cell types, establishment of growth and differentiation conditions that meet safety and good manufacturing practice standards, and manipulation of the surrounding environment to allow transplanted cells to survive and function. Furthermore, parallel progress in the development of novel gene manipulation technologies and inductive biocompatible scaffold/material designs are equally as vital. It is anticipated that a concerted multidiscipline approach is required to facilitate the reality and great potential benefits of cell-based tissue engineering applications. Copyright © Blackwell Munksgaard 2006.