Targeting periosteal SSCs for aged bone defects

cartilage disorders, such as osteoporosis and arthritis. Like other age-associated functional declines, at least some of the defects in bones and cartilage in the elderly have been attributed to changes in the populations and functions of stem cells in skeletal tissues. However, due to the cellular complexity in skeletal tissues and poor characterization of endogenous skeletal stem cells (SSCs), age-associated cellular and molecular changes in skeletal stem cells are not well understood.