There is a worldwide epidemic of skeletal diseases causing not only a public health issue
but also accounting for a sizable portion of healthcare expenditures. The vertebrate skeleton …

Runx2 is a master transcription factor for osteogenesis. The most important phenomenon
that makes this protein a master regulator for osteogenesis is its structural integrity. In …

Bone tissue undergoes constant turnover supported by stem cells. Recent studies showed
that perivascular mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) contribute to the turnover of long bones …

To date, the delivery of signaling molecules for bone regeneration has focused primarily on
factors that directly affect the bone formation pathways (osteoinduction) or that serve to …

Abstract Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), a member of the transforming growth factor-
β (TGF-β) super-family, is one of the main chondrogenic growth factors involved in cartilage …

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, is the leading cause of impaired
mobility in the elderly, and accounts for more than a third of chronic moderate to severe pain …

Hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes is a main barrier in application of mesenchymal
stem cells (MSCs) for cartilage repair. In addition, hypertrophy occurs occasionally in …

Defects of articular cartilage present a unique clinical challenge due to its poor self-healing
capacity and avascular nature. Current surgical treatment options do not ensure consistent …

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) is one of the key chondrogenic growth factors
involved in the cartilage regeneration. However, it also exhibits osteogenic abilities and …

Disabled tumor suppressor genes and hyperactive oncogenes greatly contribute to cell fates
during cancer development because of their genetic alterations such as somatic mutations …