Bone marrow stromal cells (bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells) for bone tissue engineering: Basic science to clinical translation

Bone tissue engineering is a promising field of regenerative medicine in which cultured cells, scaffolds, and osteogenic inductive signals are used to regenerate bone. This technology has already been used in several clinical studies and its efficacy has been reported. In this review, we focus on bone marrow stromal cells, which are the most commonly used cell source for bone tissue engineering. The nature of the cells, suitable culture conditions for bone tissue engineering, and their potential therapeutic applications are reviewed with possible caveats. Furthermore, recent advances in bone marrow stromal cell biology are discussed with reference to clinical translation.