Mesenchymal stem cell assays and applications

Among the many types of adult, or better, somatic, stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells (marrow-derived stromal cells, MSC) are those more versatile in changing their phenotype during differentiation: from smooth muscle, adipocyte, bone and cartilage cells to name a few. In addition, they are present in large number in adults and relatively easy to isolate and colture. All these features simply explain the already large number of application that their use allow in rigenerative medicine, not to tell about researches in which they play a crucial role in understanding the meaning of stemness and stem cell niche and the other several conceptual paradigms framing the fascinating field of stem cell biology. Having clear in mind this situation.....