Stem Cells International
Volume 2019 (2019), Article ID 7608718, 1 page
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/7608718

Editorial

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Based Regenerative Treatment of the Knee: From Basic Science to Clinics

Johannes Zellner,1,2 Brian Johnstone,³ Frank Barry,⁴ and Henning Madry5,6

¹Department of Traumatology, Caritas Hospital St. Josef, Regensburg, Germany
²Laboratory for Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Centre Regensburg, Germany
³Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
⁴Regenerative Medicine Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
⁵Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center and Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany
⁶Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Saarland University Medical Center and Saarland University, Homburg, Saar, Germany

Correspondence should be addressed to Johannes Zellner; johannes.zellner@ukr.de

Received 6 August 2019; Accepted 10 August 2019; Published 9 September 2019

Copyright © 2019 Johannes Zellner et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Patients routinely inquire about alternatives to total knee arthroplasty during daily clinical practice. Mesenchymal stem cells have been proposed for repair and regeneration of different tissue structures of the knee joint like articular cartilage, meniscus, tendons, and ligaments. However, up to now, only a limited amount of stem cell-based therapeutic strategies have been introduced in daily clinical practice. This special issue focuses on recent developments in the use of mesenchymal stem cells for repair and regeneration of knee structures and their potential for clinical translation.

This special issue includes six high-quality peer-reviewed articles that illustrate innovative strategies and novel ideas on the topic of regenerative treatment of knee tissue structures. These papers include descriptions of influencing factors and dosage of progenitor cells, biomaterials for various applications, and stem cell sources and their use for treatment of osteoarthritis and cartilage repair. Of course, it is not possible to adequately represent all facets of this broad and rapidly expanding research field. However, we hope that this special issue adds new perspectives to the current knowledge on regeneration of knee musculoskeletal structures as an alternative to total knee arthroplasty.

Conflicts of Interest

The editor’s declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this special issue.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the authors and reviewers who contributed so greatly to the success of this special issue. Furthermore, we also would like to express our gratitude to the editorial board members of this journal for their assistance and help throughout the reviewing process and the promotion of this special issue.

Johannes Zellner
Brian Johnstone
Frank Barry
Henning Madry