Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and iPS Cells (Preparation Methods)

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells which show differentiation capabilities toward various cell lineages, and the MSCs can be cryopreserved for a long term without noticeable loss of these capabilities. We have used bone marrow–derived MSCs for treatments of patients with osteoarthritis, bone necrosis, and bone tumor. However, their proliferation/differentiation capabilities are limited and show possible disadvantages for clinical use. On the other hand, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have nearly unlimited proliferation and differentiation capabilities into a wide variety of cells throughout the body, and thus the iPSCs are expected to be used in regenerative medicine and drug discovery research. We have reported that the MSCs can be utilized for the generation of iPSCs. In this chapter, we describe the methods of MSC preparation from bone marrow and iPSCs generation from MSCs. We also focus on the generation from commercially available MSCs from adipose tissue.