Tuesday October 5, 2010 from 12.00 to 13.00
M. Najar and G. Raicevic, Institut Bordet, Brussels

"Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and their potential as immunomodulators"

MSC are multipotent cells that can be isolated from several human tissues and expanded ex vivo for clinical use. MSC are identified by their adherent properties, immunophenotype and differentiation potential. They are able to modulate the function of all major immune cell populations, either direcly or through soluble factors. MSC also regulate and maintain T-regulatory phenotype. The immunosuppressive potential of MSC is not constitutive but induced under specific circumstances (T cell cytokines, inflammation…). MSC express Toll like receptors (TLR) and are activated by TLR ligands leading to modulation of the MSC functions (migration, differentiation, immunosuppression capacities) especially in an inflammatory context. The immunomodulatory effects, the molecular mechanisms implicated, TLR expression and the responses to TLR challenging vary greatly between MSC sources : bone marrow, adipose tissue and umbilical cord. The biological behavior of MSC obtained from different sources and in different situations (inflammation, infection,…) is important to establish with respect to the safety and efficacy of MSC-based cell-therapies.