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In 2017, scientific journals published more than 3,500 papers using the words “mesenchymal stem cells,” according to an op-ed that appears in Nature today (September 26). The term initially described cells from bone marrow, but its usage has expanded to encompass many types of cells from diverse tissues with varying levels of multipotency. The problem is what a mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) is isn’t always clearly defined, which has led to confusion in the scientific community, as well as public misunderstandings exploited by businesses marketing questionable cell-based treatments, the authors argue.
“The name mesenchymal stem cells should not be used for anything. It’s just a completely bogus name,” commentary coauthor Pamela Robey, a stem cell biologist at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in Bethesda, Maryland, tells The Scientist. “There are tissue-specific stem progenitor cells, which are wonderful things [and] get tossed into the ...
