Improvement in MSCs culture and expansion, delivery, homing and
engraftment are needed in order to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes in the clinic.
Strategies to enhance safe and efficient stem cells as well as associated bioproducts
delivery to target organs in vivo are currently being implemented. Stem cell delivery
medium including natural and synthetic biomaterials, cell encapsulation devices,
biologic and artificial scaffolds have received much attention lately. An ideal cell
delivery vehicle must fulfill certain criteria, such as maintaining the vitality and
function of embedded cells, being biologically compatible and biodegradable, and
allowing controlled release of biomolecules from the cells towards the target tissue. In
this chapter, the strategies adopted to deliver MSCs to or enhance their therapeutic
activity at sites of injury in the liver, ocular surface and kidney are described. New and
remodelled delivery systems are required to ensure the successful translation of cell
therapies to the clinics.
Keywords: Bioartificial devices, Biocompatible delivery medium, Biodegradable
materials, Biomaterials, Biopolymers, Cell delivery medium, Cell engraftment,
Cell transplantation, Clinical translation, Cornea, Decellularised scaffolds,
Encapsulation, Extracellular vesicles, Homing and engraftment, Host immune
system, Kidney, Liver, Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells, Synthetic polymers,
Tissue engineering.
