Abstract: Provided herein are methods for mechanically conditioning cells to improve their proliferative function and multipotency, as well as protect them from advancing senescence. In the methods, brachial loading alone is first used to improve the efficiency of culture expansion. Once a sufficient population of healthy cells are generated, pharmacological agents are added as a cotreatment to drive differentiation into a desired phenotype. The conditioned cells may then be used to prepare compositions for administration to a patient to treat a disease.