Stem Cells Translational Medicine 

About: Stem Cells Translational Medicine is an academic journal published by Wiley. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Stem cell & Mesenchymal stem cell. It has an ISSN identifier of 2157-6564. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1679 publications have been published receiving 62699 citations.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Time to Change the Name!

Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were officially named more than 25 years ago to represent a class of cells from human and mammalian bone marrow and periosteum that could be isolated and expanded in culture while maintaining their in vitro capacity to be induced to form a variety of mesodermal phenotypes and tissues. The in vitro capacity to form bone, cartilage, fat, etc., became an assay for identifying this class of multipotent cells and around which several companies were formed in the 1990s to medically exploit the regenerative capabilities of MSCs. Today, there are hundreds of clinics and hundreds of clinical trials using human MSCs with very few, if any, focusing on the in vitro multipotential capacities of these cells. Unfortunately, the fact that MSCs are called "stem cells" is being used to infer that patients will receive direct medical benefit, because they imagine that these cells will differentiate into regenerating tissue-producing cells. Such a stem cell treatment will presumably cure the patient of their medically relevant difficulties ranging from osteoarthritic (bone-on-bone) knees to various neurological maladies including dementia. I now urge that we change the name of MSCs to Medicinal Signaling Cells to more accurately reflect the fact that these cells home in on sites of injury or disease and secrete bioactive factors that are immunomodulatory and trophic (regenerative) meaning that these cells make therapeutic drugs in situ that are medicinal. It is, indeed, the patient's own site-specific and tissue-specific resident stem cells that construct the new tissue as stimulated by the bioactive factors secreted by the exogenously supplied MSCs. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1445-1451.

Concise Review: Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Wound Repair

Abstract: Wound healing requires a coordinated interplay among cells, growth factors, and extracellular matrix proteins. Central to this process is the endogenous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), which coordinates the repair response by recruiting other host cells and secreting growth factors and matrix proteins. MSCs are self-renewing multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into various lineages of mesenchymal origin such as bone, cartilage, tendon, and fat. In addition to multilineage differentiation capacity, MSCs regulate immune response and inflammation and possess powerful tissue protective and reparative mechanisms, making these cells attractive for treatment of different diseases. The beneficial effect of exogenous MSCs on wound healing was observed in a variety of animal models and in reported clinical cases. Specifically, they have been successfully used to treat chronic wounds and stimulate stalled healing processes. Recent studies revealed that human placental membranes are a rich source of MSCs for tissue regeneration and repair. This review provides a concise summary of current knowledge of biological properties of MSCs and describes the use of MSCs for wound healing. In particular, the scope of this review focuses on the role MSCs have in each phase of the wound-healing process. In addition, characterization of MSCs containing skin substitutes is described, demonstrating the presence of key growth factors and cytokines uniquely suited to aid in wound repair.

Extracellular Vesicles Improve Post-Stroke Neuroregeneration and Prevent Postischemic Immunosuppression

Abstract: Althoughtheinitialconceptsofstemcelltherapyaimedatreplacinglosttissue,morerecentevidence has suggested that stem and progenitor cells alike promote postischemic neurological recovery by secreted factors that restore the injured brain’s capacity to reshape. Specifically, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from stem cells such as exosomes have recently been suggested to mediate restorative stem cell effects.In order to define whether EVs indeedimprove postischemic neurologicalimpairmentandbrainremodeling,wesystematicallycomparedtheeffectsofmesenchymalstem cell(MSC)-derivedEVs(MSC-EVs)withMSCsthatwerei.v.deliveredtomiceondays1,3,and5(MSCEVs) or on day 1 (MSCs) after focal cerebral ischemia in C57BL6 mice. For as long as 28 days after stroke, motor coordination deficits, histological brain injury, immune responses in the peripheral bloodandbrain,andcerebralangiogenesisandneurogenesiswereanalyzed.Improvedneurological impairment and long-term neuroprotection associated with enhanced angioneurogenesis were noticed in stroke mice receiving EVs from two different bone marrow-derived MSC lineages. MSC-EV administration closely resembled responses to MSCs and persisted throughout the observation period. Although cerebral immune cell infiltration was not affected by MSC-EVs, postischemic immunosuppression (i.e., B-cell, natural killer cell, and T-cell lymphopenia) was attenuated in the peripheral blood at 6 days after ischemia, providing an appropriate external milieu for successful brain remodeling. Because MSC-EVs have recently been shown to be apparently safe in humans, the present study provides clinically relevant evidence warranting rapid proof-of-concept studies in stroke patients. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2015;4:1–13

Bioprinted Amniotic Fluid-Derived Stem Cells Accelerate Healing of Large Skin Wounds

Abstract: Stem cells obtained from amniotic fluid show high proliferative capacity in culture and multilineage differentiation potential. Because of the lack of significant immunogenicity and the ability of the amniotic fluid-derived stem (AFS) cells to modulate the inflammatory response, we investigated whether they could augment wound healing in a mouse model of skin regeneration. We used bioprinting technology to treat full-thickness skin wounds in nu/nu mice. AFS cells and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were resuspended in fibrin-collagen gel and “printed” over the wound site. At days 0, 7, and 14, AFS cell- and MSC-driven wound closure and re-epithelialization were significantly greater than closure and re-epithelialization in wounds treated by fibrin-collagen gel only. Histological examination showed increased microvessel density and capillary diameters in the AFS cell-treated wounds compared with the MSC-treated wounds, whereas the skin treated only with gel showed the lowest amount of microvessels. However, tracking of fluorescently labeled AFS cells and MSCs revealed that the cells remained transiently and did not permanently integrate in the tissue. These observations suggest that the increased wound closure rates and angiogenesis may be due to delivery of secreted trophic factors, rather than direct cell-cell interactions. Accordingly, we performed proteomic analysis, which showed that AFS cells secreted a number of growth factors at concentrations higher than those of MSCs. In parallel, we showed that AFS cell-conditioned media induced endothelial cell migration in vitro. Taken together, our results indicate that bioprinting AFS cells could be an effective treatment for large-scale wounds and burns.

Concise Review: Multifaceted Characterization of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Use in Regenerative Medicine.

Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) hold great potential for regenerative medicine because of their ability for self-renewal and differentiation into tissue-specific cells such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. MSCs orchestrate tissue development, maintenance and repair, and are useful for musculoskeletal regenerative therapies to treat age-related orthopedic degenerative diseases and other clinical conditions. Importantly, MSCs produce secretory factors that play critical roles in tissue repair that support both engraftment and trophic functions (autocrine and paracrine). The development of uniform protocols for both preparation and characterization of MSCs, including standardized functional assays for evaluation of their biological potential, are critical factors contributing to their clinical utility. Quality control and release criteria for MSCs should include cell surface markers, differentiation potential, and other essential cell parameters. For example, cell surface marker profiles (surfactome), bone-forming capacities in ectopic and orthotopic models, as well as cell size and granularity, telomere length, senescence status, trophic factor secretion (secretome), and immunomodulation, should be thoroughly assessed to predict MSC utility for regenerative medicine. We propose that these and other functionalities of MSCs should be characterized prior to use in clinical applications as part of comprehensive and uniform guidelines and release criteria for their clinical-grade production to achieve predictably favorable treatment outcomes for stem cell therapy. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:2173-2185.