Regenerative medicine generally aims at re-establishing the normal
functions by replacing the damaged body parts through stem cells or other biomedical
approaches. The tremendous opportunities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in
regenerative medicine have long been recognized. However, this potential “off-theshelf”
therapeutic product is still facing daunting challenges. In this chapter, we intend
to update the recent progresses and highlight the opportunities and the key challenges
in the field. Our discussion has direct implications for identifying new directions for
the future basic research as well as clinical applications of MSCs.
Keywords: Autoimmune diseases, Bone and cartilage diseases, Cell surface
markers, Cell therapy, Cell transplantation, Clinical trial, Degenerative diseases,
Immunomodulation, Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), “Off-the-shelf” therapeutic
product, Pre-clinical investigation, Regenerative medicine, Safety profile, Tissue
repair, Tissue engineering, Translational applications.