An active area of research in stem cell and regenerative medicine is identifying viable cell sources for tissue repair. HSCI Principal Faculty member Dario Fauza, MD, and colleagues recently made an exciting advance in this area. Fauza and fellow researchers discovered that mesenchymal stem cells, isolated from rabbit amniotic fluid, could be grown on specially engineered scaffolds and grafted into kits, baby rabbits, with sternal defects. The researchers observed the grafts and found closure of the sternal defect in all the animals they used in the procedure. These promising results point to the utility of amniotic mesenchymal cells for engineered chest wall reconstruction.

Steigman, S.A., Ahmed, A., Shanti, R.M., Tuan, R.S., Valim, C., Fauza, D.O. (2009). Sternal repair with bone grafts engineered from amniotic mesenchymal stem cells. J Pediatr Surg.44,1120-6.