Development of Decellularized Magnet-Driven Stem Cell Carriers for Cartilage Regeneration Therapy

In the field of cartilage regeneration therapy, the use of cell carriers to deliver functional cells for regenerative purposes has drawn increasing attention. However, traditional cell carrier materials, typically synthetic polymers, have faced challenges in supporting desired cellular events, such as attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. This work presents the development of decellularized magnetic-driven stem cell carriers that can deliver stem cells for cartilage defect treatments in a minimal-invasive approach. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are selected for their therapeutic potential in cartilage defect treatments. The cell carriers are derived from decellularized porcine cartilage ECM, and they have significantly preserved hyaline cartilage structures to temporarily create micro-environments similar to that of human cartilage for loaded cells during a cell delivery process. The carriers are driven by a gradient magnetic field and release cells spontaneously at the destination for over 20 days. Preclinical experiments show that cell carriers deliver stem cells to defect sites and result in better knee joint function recovery compared to control groups after surgery in a cartilage defect model. These findings highlight the potential of using decellularized microcarriers as a platform for targeted cell delivery and cartilage regeneration therapy. © Future Materials-2024