title: [Research advance and clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the advance in the experimental studies and evaluate the potential therapeutic application of the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
  
  
  METHODS
  The related articles published in China and the other countries during the recent years were extensively reviewed and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MSCs were widely used in the cell-transplantation therapy and the tissue engineering because of their pluripotency of differentiation into various kinds of cells. They were also frequently used in the gene therapy because they could stably express the transfected objective genes. Because of their immunomodulatory function, the MSCs could also be used in the immunotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MSCs are the stem cells, which have characteristics of renewing themselves, having multipotency, and being easy to undergo amplification in vitro. The MSCs are ideal target cells for the cell therapy, tissue engineering, gene therapy, and immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Key Research Laboratory of Wound Repair of PLA, 304th Clinical Department, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100037, PR China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Xiaobing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells; D023822:Tissue Engineering