Biomaterials
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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells capable of proliferating and differentiating into several lineages. In regenerative medicine, their potential as a resource for tissue-replacement therapy is receiving much attention. However, transplanting MSCs to repair larger bone defects in animal models has so far proved disappointing. ⋯ It is thought that because the transplanted MSC-DCs induced natural bone formation, the defect size was not critical to the outcome. Crucially, after 8 weeks the mean biomechanical strength of femora with the massive 15 mm implant reached 75% that of a normal rat femur, while in the case of 5 mm implants there was no significant difference. Successful healing was also highly reproducible, with bone union occurring in all treated animals examined radiologically 8 or 16 weeks after surgery.