Derivation of Multipotent Mesenchymal Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Biomaterials-Directed in Vivo Commitment

Heterogeneous differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) limits the potential use of hESCs for cell-based therapies and studies of specific differentiation programs. Clearly, more efficient and selective methods are needed to direct the proliferation and differentiation of hES cells to produce a homogeneous population of specific cell types for regeneration applications. In this report, we describe an efficient derivation and characterization of mesenchymal-precursor cells having multilineage differentiation potential into fat, cartilage, and bone in vitro, and their in vivo commitment to the osteogenic lineage via endochondral and intramembraneous ossification. These hESC-derived mesenchymal cells demonstrate higher proliferative capacity compared to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. The process of endochondral ossification was identified by cartilaginous tissue formation followed by blood vessel recruitment and calcification in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/poly(L-lactic acid) (PLGA/PLLA) polymer scaffolds. In addition, direct bone tissue formation via intramembraneous ossification was induced in hydroxyapatite (HA) containing PLGA/PLLA composite scaffolds.

Inventor(s): Elisseeff, Jennifer

Type of Offer: Licensing



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