Title : Sources & applications of mesenchymal stem cells
Abstract:
There has been an evolution of the Cellular therapy over the last decade both at the level of in vitro and in vivo preclinical research and in clinical trials. Both the Embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic stem cells have all been explored as potential therapeutic strategies for a number of diseases. One type of adult stem cells, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, has generated a great amount of interest in the field of regenerative medicine due to their unique biological properties & widespread clinical applications.
MSCs were first discovered in 1968 by Friedenstein as an adherent fibroblast-like population in the bone marrow capable of differentiating into bone. Following this, they were extracted from a myriad of other sources like the Umbilical cord, Adipose tissue, Wharton’s Jelly, Chorionic Plate to name a few.
The criteria to identify and characterize MSCs were discussed by The International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT). Along with the properties of self-renewability, multipotency, and easy accessibility, the stem cells are associated with numerous mediators, cytokines, and signalling molecules which can modulate an inflammatory response and control the infiltration process that finally leads to a regulated tissue repair/healing or regeneration process, making them a potential therapeutic target for immune mediated disorders, as also for immune-dysregulating infectious diseases like COVID- 19.
A various Sources & the Therapeutic targets of the Mesenchymal stem cell over the past decade is hence a very interesting subject for the future research.
