Uncovering a Hidden Treasure Amongst the Chaos (of haystack)

In a groundbreaking development, a team of researchers from MIT and SMART have identified three physical characteristics that can distinguish mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from other immature cells in bone marrow. This discovery, funded by the National Research Foundation of Singapore through the SMART BioSystems and Micromechanics Interdisciplinary Research Group, aims to make it easier to develop stem-cell-based therapies for tissue injuries.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week, provides the first demonstration that subpopulations of mesenchymal stromal cells can be identified and highly enriched for bone growth and muscle repair. The lead authors of the study are W.C. Lee and Hui Shi, with other contributors including Jongyoon Han, Zhiyong Poon, L.M. Nyan, Tanwi Kaushik, G.V. Shivashankar, J.K.Y. Chan, C.T. Lim, and Krystyn Van Vliet.

Until now, there has been no good way to separate MSCs from bone marrow cells that have already begun to differentiate. This lack of a separation method may have contributed to varying research results and the ineffectiveness of some stem-cell treatments in clinical trials. The researchers' approach could potentially improve the effectiveness of stem-cell treatments in clinical trials.

The team has found that a combination of cell size, cell stiffness, and the degree of nuclear membrane fluctuation can completely distinguish MSCs from other stem cells. This discovery opens up the possibility of creating devices for rapid isolation of MSCs, making it easier to generate enough stem cells for treatment.

The researchers envision that their approach would be important in the selection and purification of bone marrow-derived stem cells for tissue repair in human patients suffering from a range of tissue-degenerative diseases. For instance, the team of researchers, led by Van Vliet and Poon, hopes to begin a clinical trial of the osteogenic cells isolated in this study, which could prove useful for treating bone injuries.

Jochen Guck, a professor of cellular machines at the Dresden University of Technology, states that the work sets a big step forward in establishing a marker-free way of identifying mesenchymal stem cells with maximum differentiation capacity. The more pure populations of MSCs should lead to more effective stem-cell treatments for tissue injuries, as MSCs identified as osteogenic stromal cells can repair bone but not muscle.

This development is significant as MSCs are found within bone marrow and can differentiate into cells that produce bone, cartilage, fat, or muscle. More pure populations of MSCs could lead to more effective stem-cell treatments for various tissue injuries.