Mesenchymal cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) provide a potentially unlimited source of specialized cell types for regenerative medicine. Nonetheless, one of the key requirements used to fulfill this potential is the ability to direct the differentiation of hESC to selective fates in vitro. Studies have reported the development of culture strategies to derive multipotent mesenchymal precursors from hESCs in vitro. This chapter reviews the techniques that allow the selective derivation of such precursors and their differentiation toward various mesenchymal cell types. It also discusses current limitations and future perspectives on the use of hESC-derived mesenchymal tissues.