This is a perspective piece by Arnold Caplan, the scientist who coined the term "mesenchymal stem cell." He argues the "stem cell" label is scientifically misleading. He proposes renaming MSCs "Medicinal Signaling Cells" to reflect their true in vivo secretory function.
When a patient asks whether a "stem cell injection" will regrow their bone-on-bone knee cartilage, this paper gives you the honest answer. The infused MSCs almost never become new chondrocytes. Any benefit comes from secreted anti-inflammatory and trophic factors that signal the body's own resident cells.
This matters for consent and for spotting predatory direct-to-consumer clinics that sell "stem cell cures" for arthritis, dementia, and more. The science does not support cells differentiating into replacement tissue. Understand the pericyte origin: MSCs live on blood vessels throughout the body, which explains why they can be harvested from marrow, fat, and other vascularized tissues.
Remember the aging curve. Marrow MSC yield drops from 1 in 10,000 in newborns to 1 in 2 million in the elderly, relevant when considering autologous marrow-based grafting in older patients.
This is a perspective piece by Arnold Caplan, the scientist who coined the term "mesenchymal stem cell." He argues the "stem cell" label is scientifically misleading. He proposes renaming MSCs "Medicinal Signaling Cells" to reflect their true in vivo secretory function.
When a patient asks whether a "stem cell injection" will regrow their bone-on-bone knee cartilage, this paper gives you the honest answer. The infused MSCs almost never become new chondrocytes. Any benefit comes from secreted anti-inflammatory and trophic factors that signal the body's own resident cells.
This matters for consent and for spotting predatory direct-to-consumer clinics that sell "stem cell cures" for arthritis, dementia, and more. The science does not support cells differentiating into replacement tissue. Understand the pericyte origin: MSCs live on blood vessels throughout the body, which explains why they can be harvested from marrow, fat, and other vascularized tissues.
Remember the aging curve. Marrow MSC yield drops from 1 in 10,000 in newborns to 1 in 2 million in the elderly, relevant when considering autologous marrow-based grafting in older patients.