@Article{icces.2025.011173,
AUTHOR = {Xiaolin Cui, Khoon Lim},
TITLE = {From Cell to Cell-Free Strategies: New Developments in Cartilage and Cardiac Tissue Repair},
JOURNAL = {The International Conference on Computational \& Experimental Engineering and Sciences},
VOLUME = {33},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {1--2},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/icces/v33n1/63904},
ISSN = {1933-2815},
ABSTRACT = {<b>1 Introduction </b><br/>
Joint and cardiovascular diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and myocardial infarction (MI), pose significant 
clinical challenges due to their limited regenerative capacity. The key to mitigating tissue damage and preventing 
the progression of OA and MI is to repair or even regenerate the infarcted tissue. At present, cell-based therapy is 
the primary strategy for tissue repair. Delivered cells could either differentiate into functional cells or secrete 
paracrine signals to promote onsite cell function. Both mechanisms have demonstrated potential in cartilage and 
cardiac tissue repair, both preclinically and clinically. In addition to cell therapy, cellular secretomes such as growth 
factors, extracellular vesicles (EVs), and decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) have also been developed in 
tissue engineering. Compared to cell therapy, cell-free therapy has advantages such as reduced immune rejection, 
less ethical complexity, and similar potential to promote tissue repair. Consequently, cell-free therapy is gaining 
increasing popularity. This talk will highlight developments in cell and cell-free therapies from our group, 
combined with various biomaterials and 3D biofabrication techniques, for cartilage and cardiac tissue repair. <br/><br/>
<b>2 Methods </b><br/>
The therapeutic potential of various cells, including cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), bone marrow 
mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs), and umbilical cord blood (UCB) MSCs for cartilage and cardiac tissue 
repair was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, dECM and EVs secreted by cells were evaluated in 
cellular experiments and small animal models to demonstrate their effect on promoting tissue repair. <br/><br/>
<b>3 Results </b><br/>
CDCs reduced cell apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation. In small and large animal models, CDCs 
demonstrated their capacity to enhance vascular formation and preserve cardiac function. Besides CDCs, BM-MSCs
 derived EVs delivered via a spray technique also showed potential in cardiac tissue repair, with an enhanced 
retention rate and reduced immune response. For cartilage repair, the incorporation of silk-based hydrogel 
improved the chondrogenesis of chondrocytes. Additionally, a bioassembly technique combined with UCB-MSC 
was able to fabricate an engineered osteochondral tissue construct with a clear zonal structure, which could 
facilitate cartilage tissue repair. Moreover, cartilage dECM was also introduced in the microfracture technique, 
demonstrating improved cartilage repair in a rat model. <br/><br/>
<b>4 Conclusion </b><br/>
Cell and cell-free therapy could promote cartilage and cardiac tissue repair via the differentiation pathway or paracrine signalling. Both strategies hold the clinical potential to treat joint and cardiovascular diseases.},
DOI = {10.32604/icces.2025.011173}
}