The biology of mesenchymal stem and stromal cells
Mesenchymal stromal cells, often called mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs, are defined by a short list of laboratory criteria and isolated from tissues such as bone marrow, fat, umbilical cord and placenta. They communicate with neighboring cells through secreted proteins and extracellular vesicles, and that output can be measured.
These references explain that biology for clinicians and researchers, from the defining criteria to current research and the regulatory record, with numbered citations to the peer-reviewed literature on every page.
The references, in reading order
12 references, each with numbered citations to the peer-reviewed literature.
Defining a mesenchymal stromal cell
Where MSCs sit among stem cell types, what qualifies a culture as mesenchymal stromal cells, and why the field now prefers "stromal" to "stem" for most preparations.
Stem Cell Types: Embryonic, Induced Pluripotent, Adult and MSC
Where MSCs sit among stem cell types.
ISCT Minimal Criteria for Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs)
Plastic adherence, the marker panel and trilineage potential.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells vs Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
Two names for MSCs, and what each one claims.
Where MSCs come from
The tissues MSCs are isolated from, how cells from each source compare, and the federal donor eligibility rules that govern perinatal tissue.
What MSCs release and how they signal
The secreted proteins, vesicles and enzymes stromal cells use to communicate with neighboring cells, and how their environment tunes that output.
The MSC Secretome: Conditioned Medium, Growth Factors and EVs
Soluble factors, vesicles and how they are measured.
MSC Immunobiology: HLA Expression, IDO, PGE2 and TSG-6
HLA, IDO, PGE2 and TSG-6 in immune signaling.
MSC Licensing and Preconditioning: IFN-γ, TNF-α and Hypoxia
How the environment reshapes stromal cells.
Frontiers in stromal cell research
Subpopulations resolved by single-cell sequencing, MSCs derived from pluripotent cells, organelle transfer between cells, and the first FDA-licensed MSC product.
Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Heterogeneity by Single-Cell RNA-seq
Subpopulations at single-cell resolution.
iPSC-Derived MSCs (iMSCs): Derivation, Identity and Consistency
MSCs made from pluripotent cells.
Mitochondrial Transfer by Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
Organelle transfer between cells.
Remestemcel-L: The First FDA-Approved MSC Product
A regulatory milestone for MSC products.
This page is provided for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and it is not a substitute for the judgment of a licensed practitioner. Consult a healthcare professional before acting on anything stated here. ExaVeyra Sciences is a supplier and takes no part in any diagnosis, treatment decision, or plan of care. These references describe normal cell biology for licensed practitioner education, and make no statement about the composition of any product. They are not medical advice or regulatory guidance. There are no FDA-approved exosome products. Biomolecular signaling vesicle products distributed by ExaVeyra Sciences are supplied for topical aesthetic use by licensed practitioners and for laboratory and IND-authorized clinical research, are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease, and are not tissue products as defined by FDA guidelines.