The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells with a number of potential therapeutic applications. At present, they are being used in a clinical trial for the treatment of myocardial infarction and are being studied as a therapy for other vascular disorders. Treatments of neurologic disorders and anticancer therapy with MSCs have progressed in light of the migratory properties of MSCs to brain injury and tumors. The osteogenic potential of MSCs is being exploited in work investigating their use in bone regeneration therapy, and the immunomodulatory function of MSCs is being evaluated as a possible therapy for graft-versus-host disease. Here, the authors review recent work contributing to the knowledge of MSC biology and the advances in gene therapy and tissue regeneration using MSCs.