Cord-blood mesenchymal stem cells and tissue engineering

Abstract  Cord-blood-derived stem cells have proven clinically useful for numerous disease states, as have mesenchymal stem cells (MCSs) derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue. The recent identification of MSCs in cord-blood heralds cord-blood as an untapped resource for nonhematopoietic stem cell-based therapeutic strategies for the replacement of injured or disease connective tissue. This review discusses the potential for tissue engineering applications of MSCs, highlighting the development of vascularized tissue engineering constructs using microvascular free flaps as a novel tissue engineering strategy.