Bone tissue engineering with human stem cells

• Published in: Stem cell research & therapy Vol. 1; no. 2; p. 10
• Main Authors: Marolt, Darja, Knezevic, Miomir, Novakovic, Gordana Vunjak
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 04.05.2010; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Adult Stem Cells - cytology; Adult Stem Cells - metabolism; Bone and Bones - cytology; Bone Transplantation; Cell Differentiation; Embryonic Stem Cells - cytology; Embryonic Stem Cells - metabolism; Humans; Osteogenesis - physiology; Physiological aspects; Review; Stem cells; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - methods; Tissue Scaffolds
• ISSN: 1757-6512; 1757-6512
• DOI: 10.1186/scrt10

Treatment of extensive bone defects requires autologous bone grafting or implantation of bone substitute materials. An attractive alternative has been to engineer fully viable, biological bone grafts in vitro by culturing osteogenic cells within three-dimensional scaffolds, under conditions supporting bone formation. Such grafts could be used for implantation, but also as physiologically relevant models in basic and translational studies of bone development, disease and drug discovery. A source of human cells that can be derived in large numbers from a small initial harvest and predictably differentiated into bone forming cells is critically important for engineering human bone grafts. We discuss the characteristics and limitations of various types of human embryonic and adult stem cells, and their utility for bone tissue engineering.