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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

The multitasking cell that can build the parts of a human skeleton

Cells sprout into bits of human bone when implanted in mice.
Human skeletal stem cell-derived ossicle

Bone (yellow), cartilage (blue) and marrow (red) generated by grafts of human skeletal stem cells into mice. Credit: C. K. F. Chan et al./Cell

Human stem cells that give rise to bone, cartilage and other skeletal tissues have been isolated for the first time, opening the door to new treatments for debilitating conditions such as osteoarthritis.

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Nature 561, 437 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-06743-0

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