Materials Science seminar by Johnna Temenoff, Georgia Institute of Technology

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely explored as a means to repair or regenerate a variety of tissues, particularly in orthopedics. However, how these cells respond to cues from their environment, both biochemical and mechanical, as well as paracrine signals from neighboring cells, to determine cell fate after transplantation remains largely unknown. This is particularly true for complex microenvironments such as interfaces in orthopedic tissues or the bone marrow.