TERMIS 2021 | Exploring stem cell-based therapies in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic illness currently with no cure, and patients with OA often have comorbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Jiao Jiao Li, PhD, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia, provides an overview of the influence on stem cells in osteoarthritis and how stem cell-based therapies have not been effective in OA. Research investigating the interactions between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and arthritic cells revealed that MSCs had a short-term effect on arthritic cells, but arthritic cells induced inflammatory markers in MSCs and prevented them from differentiating into cartilage tissue. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).