Engraftment of allogeneic iPS cell-derived cartilage organoid in a primate model of articular cartilage defect.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a promising resource for allogeneic cartilage transplantation to treat articular cartilage defects that do not heal spontaneously and often progress to debilitating conditions, such as osteoarthritis. However, to the best of our knowledge, allogeneic cartilage transplantation into primate models has never been assessed. Here, we show that allogeneic iPSC-derived cartilage organoids survive and integrate as well as are remodeled as articular cartilage in a primate model of chondral defects in the knee joints.

Generation of Monkey Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cartilage Lacking Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Molecules on the Cell Surface.

Due to the poor capacity for articular cartilage to regenerate, its damage tends to result in progressively degenerating conditions such as osteoarthritis. To repair the damage, the transplantation of allogeneic human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cartilage is being considered. However, although allogeneic cartilage transplantation is effective, immunological reactions can occur.

Implantation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cartilage in Bone Defects of Mice.

Although bone has an innate capacity for repair, clinical situations such as comminuted fracture, open fracture, or the surgical resection of bone tumors produce critical-sized bone defects that exceed the capacity and require external intervention. Initiating endochondral ossification (EO) by the implantation of a cartilaginous template into the bone defect is a relatively new approach to cure critical-sized bone defects. The combination of chondrogenically primed mesenchymal stromal/stem cells and artificial scaffolds has been the most extensively studied approach for inducing endochondral bone formation in bone defects.

Quality assessment tests for tumorigenicity of human iPS cell-derived cartilage.

Articular cartilage damage does not heal spontaneously and causes joint dysfunction. The implantation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cartilage (iPS-Cart) is one candidate treatment to regenerate the damaged cartilage. However, concerns of tumorigenicity are associated with iPS-Cart, because the iPSC reprogramming process and long culture time for cartilage induction could increase the chance of malignancy.

Considerations in hiPSC-derived cartilage for articular cartilage repair.

Background: A lack of cell or tissue sources hampers regenerative medicine for articular cartilage damage.

Main Text: We review and discuss the possible use of pluripotent stem cells as a new source for future clinical use. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have several advantages over human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

Integration Capacity of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cartilage.

Cartilage particles derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPS-Carts) are one candidate source for transplants for treatment of articular cartilage damage. This study shows that hiPS-Carts integrate with each other in an model and analyzed the course of the integration. The integration starts at the perichondrium-like membrane at around 1 week and then progresses to the central cartilage within 4-8 weeks.

[Awareness survey of Healthcare Number System pros and cons according to medical doctors in Japan].

Objectives: After bills to launch the Social Security and Tax Number System were enacted in 2013, health and political officials have considered the Healthcare Number System (the System). However, little is known about doctors' awareness and concerns about the System. This study aimed to measure how many doctors disagree with the System, examine the doctors' characteristics, and analyze the benefits and harms of the System that they identified.

Generation of scaffoldless hyaline cartilaginous tissue from human iPSCs.

Defects in articular cartilage ultimately result in loss of joint function. Repairing cartilage defects requires cell sources. We developed an approach to generate scaffoldless hyaline cartilage from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).

Statin treatment rescues FGFR3 skeletal dysplasia phenotypes.

Gain-of-function mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3) result in skeletal dysplasias, such as thanatophoric dysplasia and achondroplasia (ACH). The lack of disease models using human cells has hampered the identification of a clinically effective treatment for these diseases. Here we show that statin treatment can rescue patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models and a mouse model of FGFR3 skeletal dysplasia.

Modeling type II collagenopathy skeletal dysplasia by directed conversion and induced pluripotent stem cells.

Type II collagen is a major component of cartilage. Heterozygous mutations in the type II collagen gene (COL2A1) result in a group of skeletal dysplasias known as Type II collagenopathy (COL2pathy). The understanding of COL2pathy is limited by difficulties in obtaining live chondrocytes.

Identification of long-term repopulating potential of human cord blood-derived CD34-flt3- severe combined immunodeficiency-repopulating cells by intra-bone marrow injection.

Recently, we have identified human cord blood (CB)-derived CD34-negative (CD34(-)) severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)-repopulating cells (SRCs) using the intra-bone marrow injection (IBMI) method (Blood 2003;101:2924). In contrast to murine CD34(-) Kit(+)Sca-1(+)Lineage(-) (KSL) cells, human CB-derived Lin(-)CD34(-) cells did not express detectable levels of c-kit by flow cytometry. In this study, we have investigated the function of flt3 in our identified human CB-derived CD34(-) SRCs.