Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine: The Challenges and the Opportunities

Regenerative medicine generally aims at re-establishing the normal functions by replacing the damaged body parts through stem cells or other biomedical approaches. The tremendous opportunities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in regenerative medicine have long been recognized. However, this potential “off-theshelf” therapeutic product is still facing daunting challenges. In this chapter, we intend to update the recent progresses and highlight the opportunities and the key challenges in the field. Our discussion has direct implications for identifying new directions for the future basic research as well as clinical applications of MSCs.

Keywords: Autoimmune diseases, Bone and cartilage diseases, Cell surface markers, Cell therapy, Cell transplantation, Clinical trial, Degenerative diseases, Immunomodulation, Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), “Off-the-shelf” therapeutic product, Pre-clinical investigation, Regenerative medicine, Safety profile, Tissue repair, Tissue engineering, Translational applications.