Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Combination with Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

This article reviews past and current strategies of the use of bone graft substitutes along with the future biologic alternatives that can enhance the functional capabilities of those grafts. Many of these bone graft substitute alternatives include ceramic-based, allograft-based, factor-based and polymer-based whereas others are cell-based. The ways of achieving the goal of tissue engineering using stem cells and their lineage to regenerate tissue have been detailed with regard to both the generation of sufficient vascular invasion of the tissue to improve oxygen and nutrient supply, and the development of innovative physical/chemical stimuli to induce bone formation with the proper biomaterial to carry the cells. It is imperative to integrate basic polymer science with molecular biology and stem cell biology, in the design of new materials that perform very sophisticated signaling needed for integration and function