Stromal & Mesenchymal Cells

Background

Mesenchymal Stem Cells, or MSC, as they have come to be known, have long been believed to be a collective, heterogeneous pool of cells responsible for the replenishment of supportive and connective tissues of the body, such as bone, cartilage, muscle, other soft tissues, as well as the bone marrow stroma where hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells expand and thrive. Their role in the interactions with and expansion support of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow is absolutely critical in the maintenance of the entire blood cells system. Recent studies have begun to utilize the dynamic and multi-potent properties of MSC in hopes to engineer them into more diverse types of cells and tissues.