Global ageing, as reflected by recent demographic trends, affects the quality and length of life and remains a long-standing challenge that must be addressed. Musculoskeletal ageing compromises functionality, and can lead to chronic pain and loss of mobility. The term encompasses the degeneration of one or a combination of musculoskeletal tissues; muscles; bones; cartilage; ligaments; tendons.
Due to the scope and burden of these disorders on health systems, there is a great need for deepening our understanding of musculoskeletal ageing. As we continue to make improvements in assessing, monitoring, and understanding the pathogenesis of musculoskeletal ageing, the hope is to produce preventative measures and effective treatments.
Stem cells are the focus of many applications in regenerative medicine, including musculoskeletal tissue repair. Although we have come a long way in our understanding of stem cell biology, there are still many avenues to explore and improve. Key scientific challenges include how to precisely induce stem cell differentiation towards an intended target tissue, as well as how to increase the efficacy of stem cell therapy, especially in a degenerated environment.
In this special issue, we are inviting the submission of original and review articles (including basic research, clinical research, development and application of translational medicine, concise reviews, systemic reviews, and meta-analyses, commentaries and viewpoints) on the following themes:
• Molecular mechanisms involved in age-related musculoskeletal disorders
• Stem cell therapy for age-related musculoskeletal disorders
• Stem cell-based products, such as extracellular vesicles, for cell-free therapy
• Epigenetic modifications found during musculoskeletal ageing
• Disease modeling of musculoskeletal ageing; which may include descriptions of the molecular genetics, pathophysiology, or epidemiology of these models
• Development of biomaterials for treating musculoskeletal ageing
Global ageing, as reflected by recent demographic trends, affects the quality and length of life and remains a long-standing challenge that must be addressed. Musculoskeletal ageing compromises functionality, and can lead to chronic pain and loss of mobility. The term encompasses the degeneration of one or a combination of musculoskeletal tissues; muscles; bones; cartilage; ligaments; tendons.
Due to the scope and burden of these disorders on health systems, there is a great need for deepening our understanding of musculoskeletal ageing. As we continue to make improvements in assessing, monitoring, and understanding the pathogenesis of musculoskeletal ageing, the hope is to produce preventative measures and effective treatments.
Stem cells are the focus of many applications in regenerative medicine, including musculoskeletal tissue repair. Although we have come a long way in our understanding of stem cell biology, there are still many avenues to explore and improve. Key scientific challenges include how to precisely induce stem cell differentiation towards an intended target tissue, as well as how to increase the efficacy of stem cell therapy, especially in a degenerated environment.
In this special issue, we are inviting the submission of original and review articles (including basic research, clinical research, development and application of translational medicine, concise reviews, systemic reviews, and meta-analyses, commentaries and viewpoints) on the following themes:
• Molecular mechanisms involved in age-related musculoskeletal disorders
• Stem cell therapy for age-related musculoskeletal disorders
• Stem cell-based products, such as extracellular vesicles, for cell-free therapy
• Epigenetic modifications found during musculoskeletal ageing
• Disease modeling of musculoskeletal ageing; which may include descriptions of the molecular genetics, pathophysiology, or epidemiology of these models
• Development of biomaterials for treating musculoskeletal ageing
