Hypertrophic chondrocytes of the metatarsal growth plate derived from E15.5 mice (H/E staining).

See Gorgun et al. beginning on page 1680.

Cell-based therapies comprised of or derived from stem/progenitor cells are being developed to treat debilitating eye diseases such as dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and limbal stem cell deficiency (LSD). Shown are the routes of delivery and location within the eye of the specific cell therapies discussed in this article. Adapted from https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/eye-anatomy-vector_760161.htm.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have natural immunoregulatory functions that have been explored for medicinal use as a cell therapy with limited success. A phase 1b study was conducted to evaluate the safety and immunoregulatory mechanism of action of MSCs using a novel ex vivo product (SBI-101) to preserve cell activity in patients with severe acute kidney injury (AKI).

Stempeucel showed the continued long term efficacy over a period of 12 months follow up in patients with CLI due to Buerger's disease. Significant improvement in rest pain, ankle systolic pressure and ankle brachial pressure index with accelerated ulcer healing was observed. Stempeucel continues to be safe, tolerable and effective alternative treatment in patients with Buerger's disease.

The comprehensive elucidation of megakaryocyte (MK) heterogeneity and improved understanding of its potential link with platelet heterogeneity will provide new insights into the platelet production from human pluripotent stem cells. It would be extremely attractive to produce platelet-biased MKs and subsequent platelet subpopulations with distinct functions for future clinical applications, such as those with hemostatic, antineoplastic, or pro-angiogenic functions.

This systematic review and meta-analysis shows that neural stem cells are a promising treatment for perinatal brain injury. Key knowledge gaps have been identified and should be addressed before the commencement of clinical trials.

Skin fibroblasts contribute to local nerve regeneration by directly guiding axon regrowth, which suggests a potential therapeutic strategy for peripheral nerve disorders and relatively chronic refractory wounds.

A scalable system for the generation and rapid harvest of immunomodulatory induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells..

CCL2 secreted by mesenchymal stromal cells promotes cutaneous antibacterial defense mechanisms through increased antimicrobial peptide expression in keratinocytes. The secretome of cultured equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) was collected as conditioned medium (CM) and applied to methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilms in an ex vivo cutaneous wound explant model, where it effectively reduced bacteria viability. Primary equine keratinocytes, in two-dimensional cultures, significantly increased expression of the antimicrobial peptides (AMP) ß-defensin and cathelicidin after stimulation with the MSC secretome. ß-defensin expression was mediated by CCL2, a cytokine secreted by MSCs.

This study shows how the differences among bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs and ADSCs, respectively) are mirrored in the corresponding extracellular vesicles (EVs). The role of ADSCs- and BMSCs-derived EVs in an endochondral ossification setting was investigated using ex vivo metatarsal culture models that allowed to explore both blood vessel sprouting and bone growth plate dynamics.

Biological aging of tracheobronchial tissue specific stem cells (TSC) and their trophic unit, the pseudostratified conducting airway epithelium. Each injury activates a subset of TSC which proliferate and undergo terminal differentiation. Thus, each injury cycle depletes the TSC pool and many injuries compromise epithelial regeneration. Over time, biological age exceeds chronological age and increases the risk of chronic lung disease.