Circulating osteogenic precursor cells: Building bone from blood
Jack Feehan,
Kulmira Nurgali,
Vasso Apostolopoulos,
Ahmed Al Saedi,
Gustavo Duque
Affiliations
Jack Feehan
Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), University of Melbourne and Western Health, St Albans, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine-Western Health, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Kulmira Nurgali
Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), University of Melbourne and Western Health, St Albans, VIC, Australia; Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, VIC, Australia
Vasso Apostolopoulos
Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, VIC, Australia
Ahmed Al Saedi
Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), University of Melbourne and Western Health, St Albans, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine-Western Health, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Gustavo Duque
Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), University of Melbourne and Western Health, St Albans, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine-Western Health, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Corresponding author at: Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), Sunshine Hospital, 176 Furlong Road, St Albans, VIC 3021, Australia.
Circulating osteogenic precursor (COP) cells constitute a recently discovered population of circulating progenitor cells with the capacity to form not only bone but other mesenchymal tissues. There is a small, but growing body of literature exploring these cells, but with a great deal of disagreement and contradiction within it. This review explores the origins and biological characterization of these cells, including the identification strategies used to isolate these cells from the peripheral blood. It also examines the available knowledge on the in vitro and in vivo behaviour of these cells, in the areas of plastic adherence, differentiation capacity, proliferation, and cellular homing. We also review the implications for future use of COP cells in clinical practice, particularly in the area of regenerative medicine and the treatment and assessment of musculoskeletal disease. Keywords: COP cells, Circulating osteogenic precursor cells, Circulating mesenchymal stem cells, Circulating osteoprogenitors, Stem cells
