Clonal Analysis of hASC Differentiation Potential and Mechanical Biomarkers

Investigators: Vera Fonseca and Rafael Gonzalez Cruz

Mesenchymal stem cells are a diffusely defined population of multipotent cells found in many different tissues. Therapeutic use of these cells is problematic since there is variability in the differentiation potential of individual cells, making it difficult to control which genes and proteins are expressed in response to a given stimuli. Traditional biochemical markers have had minimal success identifying a “stem cell marker.” However, recent findings indicate mechanical properties are linked to the phenotype of certain cell types. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether single-cell elastic and viscoelastic properties are an indicator of lineage differentiation potential in stem cells.