Single-cell RNA-sequence analysis of human bone marrow reveals new targets for isolation of skeletal stem cells using spherical nucleic acids

There is a wealth of data indicating human bone marrow contains skeletal stem cells (SSC) with the capacity for osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic differentiation. However, current methods to isolate SSCs are restricted by the lack of a defined marker, limiting understanding of SSC fate, immunophenotype, function and clinical application. The current study applied single-cell RNA-sequencing to profile human adult bone marrow populations from 11 donors and identified novel targets for SSC enrichment. Spherical nucleic acids were used to detect these mRNA targets in SSCs. This methodology was able to rapidly isolate potential SSCs found at a frequency of <1 in 1,000,000 in human bone marrow, with the capacity for tri-lineage differentiation in vitro and ectopic bone formation in vivo. The current studies detail the development of a platform to advance SSC enrichment from human bone marrow, offering an invaluable resource for further SSC characterisation, with significant therapeutic impact therein.