Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-based therapy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: An update on preclinical studies
Mercedes Lopez-Santalla,
Juan A. Bueren,
Marina I. Garin
Affiliations
Mercedes Lopez-Santalla
Division of Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBER-ER), Madrid; Spain; Advanced Therapy Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD/UAM); Corresponding authors
Juan A. Bueren
Division of Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBER-ER), Madrid; Spain; Advanced Therapy Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD/UAM)
Marina I. Garin
Division of Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBER-ER), Madrid; Spain; Advanced Therapy Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD/UAM); Corresponding authors
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and progressive joint destruction and is a primary cause of disability worldwide. Despite the existence of numerous anti-rheumatic drugs, a significant number of patients with RA do not respond or are intolerant to current treatments. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSCs) therapy represents a promising therapeutic tool to treat RA, mainly attributable to the immunomodulatory effects of these cells. This review comprises a comprehensive analysis of the scientific literature related to preclinical studies of MSC-based therapy in RA to analyse key aspects of current protocols as well as novel approaches which aim to improve the efficacy of MSC-based therapy.
