MUSE Cells: Do They Live Up to the Hype?
But here’s the reality: MUSE cells remain largely experimental. Clinical trials to date have been small, conducted mostly in Japan, and limited to conditions like stroke, heart attack, and ALS. Manufacturing them is slow and costly, and no large-scale or orthopedic-focused trials have been completed. Unlike MSCs, they have not been applied in musculoskeletal medicine, anti-aging therapies, or widely available clinical protocols. MUSE (Multilineage-differentiating Stress-Enduring) cells are a rare subpopulation first identified in 2010. They represent only 1–3% of the MSC population and can be enriched by exposing tissue samples to stress, which selects for this hardy group of cells. Unlike induced pluripotent stem cells, they are naturally occurring and do not require genetic reprogramming. In theory, MUSE cells are attractive because they are stress-resistant, can survive in harsh environments such as stroke-damaged tissue, and display pluripotent-like qualities—meaning they can differentiate into multiple tissue types. Importantly, studies show they are non-tumorigenic, which has made them a focus of early clinical research.
MUSE cells are fascinating in the lab. But in the clinic, they are still unproven, difficult to scale, and years away from broad therapeutic use.
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