Columbia Scientists Rapidly Grow Bone Tissue.

Using stem cell lines not typically combined, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York have designed a new way to "grow" bone and other tissues.

Researchers led by Jeremy Mao, Ph.D., have co-transplanted hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells to promote the regeneration of vascularized tissues.

They found that the tissue regenerated in bone more rapidly than when either type of stem cell was used alone. The work, published in the Public Libraries of Science, takes a new approach. Rarely have mesenchymal and hematopoietic cells been delivered in combination to heal defects or treat diseases - partially due to the separate research communities in which these two cell groups are studied.

Dr. Mao and colleagues demonstrated that when human mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells were seeded in micropores of 3D calcium phosphate scaffolds, followed by infusion of gel-suspended CD34+ hematopoietic cells, greater vascularization was seen in mice than when mesenchymal cells were used alone.