Mesenchymal stem versus stromal cells: International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT®) Mesenchymal Stromal Cell committee position statement on nomenclature

S Viswanathan; Y Shi; J Galipeau; M Krampera; K Leblanc; I Martin; J Nolta; D G Phinney; L Sensebe

doi:10.1016/j.jcyt.2019.08.002

Mesenchymal stem versus stromal cells: International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT®) Mesenchymal Stromal Cell committee position statement on nomenclature

Cytotherapy. 2019 Oct;21(10):1019-1024. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2019.08.002. Epub 2019 Sep 13.

Authors

S Viswanathan¹, Y Shi², J Galipeau³, M Krampera⁴, K Leblanc⁵, I Martin⁶, J Nolta⁷, D G Phinney⁸, L Sensebe⁹

Affiliations

¹ Arthritis Program, University Health Network, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Cell Therapy Program, University Health Network, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: sowmya.viswanathan@uhnresearch.ca.
² The First Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University Institutes for Translational Medicine, Suzhou, China; Institute of Health Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: yfshi@suda.edu.cn.
³ Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
⁴ Section of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
⁵ Division of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁶ Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Stem Cell Program and Institute for Regenerative Cures, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA.
⁸ Department of Molecular Therapeutics, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, USA.
⁹ UMR5273 STROMALab CNRS/EFS/UPS-INSERM U1031, Toulouse, France.

PMID: 31526643
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2019.08.002

Abstract

The International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT®) Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (ISCT MSC) committee offers a position statement to clarify the nomenclature of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). The ISCT MSC committee continues to support the use of the acronym "MSCs" but recommends this be (i) supplemented by tissue-source origin of the cells, which would highlight tissue-specific properties; (ii) intended as MSCs unless rigorous evidence for stemness exists that can be supported by both in vitro and in vivo data; and (iii) associated with robust matrix of functional assays to demonstrate MSC properties, which are not generically defined but informed by the intended therapeutic mode of actions.

Keywords: differentiation; immunomodulation; mesenchymal stromal cells; nomenclature; paracrine secretion; self-renewal; stem cells.

Publication types

Practice Guideline

MeSH terms

Cell Culture Techniques / classification
Cell Culture Techniques / methods
Cell Culture Techniques / standards
Cell Differentiation
Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / classification*
Genetic Therapy / classification*
Genetic Therapy / methods
Humans
Internationality
Mesenchymal Stem Cells / classification*
Mesenchymal Stem Cells / cytology
Societies, Medical / standards
Stromal Cells / classification*
Stromal Cells / cytology
Terminology as Topic*