%0 Journal Article
%T A novel scaffold-free mesenchymal stem cell-derived tissue engineered construct for articular cartilage restoration - From basic to clinic.
%A Shimomura K
%A Ando W
%A Hart DA
%A Nakamura N
%J Regen Ther
%V 26
%N 0
%D 2024 Jun
%M 38883147
%F 3.651
%R 10.1016/j.reth.2024.05.007
%X Treatments for articular cartilage injuries are still challenging, due in part to its avascular and aneural surroundings. Since the first report of autologous chondrocyte implantation, cell-based therapies have been extensively studied with a variety of cell sources, including chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). Recently, MSC-based therapy has received considerable research attention because of the relative ease in handling for tissue harvest, and subsequent cell expansion and differentiation. Using such cells, we have originally developed a 3-dimensional scaffold-free tissue-engineered construct (TEC) through simple-cell culture methods and demonstrated its feasibility for cartilage repair and regeneration in the first-in-human clinical trial. This review summarizes our novel scaffold-free approaches to use MSC for the restoration of damaged articular cartilage, documenting the progression from basic to clinical studies.