Tomsuk Ö. Harnessing CD146-positive mesenchymal stromal cells for precision therapy in acute respiratory distress syndrome. World J Stem Cells 2026; 18(1): 114825 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i1.114825]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Özlem Tomsuk, PhD, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, Senior Scientist, Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (IRCM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Institut du Cancer de Montpellier (ICM), University of Montpellier, 124 Avenue des Apothicaires, Montpellier 34090, France. ozlem.tomsuk@inserm.fr
Research Domain of This Article
Cell Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Stem Cells. Jan 26, 2026; 18(1): 114825 Published online Jan 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i1.114825
Harnessing CD146-positive mesenchymal stromal cells for precision therapy in acute respiratory distress syndrome
Özlem Tomsuk
Özlem Tomsuk, Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (IRCM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Institut du Cancer de Montpellier (ICM), University of Montpellier, Montpellier 34090, France
Özlem Tomsuk, Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Production Application and Research Center (ESTEM), Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir 26040, Türkiye
Author contributions: Tomsuk Ö conceived and designed the study, performed the literature review and wrote and critically revised the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) Under the International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program (2219), No. 1059B192400980; and the National Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program (2218), No. 122C158.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Özlem Tomsuk, PhD, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, Senior Scientist, Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (IRCM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Institut du Cancer de Montpellier (ICM), University of Montpellier, 124 Avenue des Apothicaires, Montpellier 34090, France. ozlem.tomsuk@inserm.fr
Received: September 29, 2025 Revised: October 29, 2025 Accepted: December 2, 2025 Published online: January 26, 2026 Processing time: 113 Days and 12.1 Hours
Abstract
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition that is characterized by high mortality rates and limited therapeutic options. Notably, Zhang et al demonstrated that CD146+ mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) exhibited greater therapeutic efficacy than CD146- MSCs. These cells enhance epithelial repair through nuclear factor kappa B/cyclooxygenase-2-associated paracrine signaling and secretion of pro-angiogenic factors. We concur that MSCs hold significant promise for ARDS treatment; however, the heterogeneity of cell products is a translational barrier. Phenotype-aware strategies, such as CD146 enrichment, standardized potency assays, and extracellular vesicle profiling, are essential for improving the consistency of these studies. Furthermore, advanced preclinical models, such as lung-on-a-chip systems, may provide more predictive insights into the therapeutic mechanisms. This article underscores the importance of CD146+ MSCs in ARDS, emphasizes the need for precision in defining cell products, and discusses how integrating subset selection into translational pipelines could enhance the clinical impact of MSC-based therapies.
Core Tip: Acute respiratory distress syndrome remains a major significant clinical challenge for translational researchers because of its high mortality and paucity of effective therapies. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent a promising approach for immunomodulation and barrier repair. However, heterogeneity within cell populations results in variable clinical efficacies. This editorial endorses the study by Zhang et al, which highlighted the greater therapeutic efficacy of the CD146+ MSC subpopulation through nuclear factor kappa B-mediated paracrine regulation. Furthermore, the authors highlighted future directions, including phenotype-focused manufacturing, multi-marker integration, and cell-free therapies based on extracellular vesicles or secretomes, illustrating the potential of MSC-based interventions for precision medicine.
