Natural substances called growth factors contain cues for getting cells to multiply and to migrate. Substances called adhesive peptides hold the cues to encourage cells to stick to and colonize the scaffolding materials that are used to deliver the cells. You create an area by adding adhesive peptides that the cells like and the cells will move fast and colonize that area. It also is important to keep cells out. A goal of research on dental implants is to create new surfaces on the implants that will encourage bone cells to bind to it, but keep fibroblast cells away.
Fibroblasts create fibrous tissue that interferes with the implants.
The strategy is to place peptides that have no cues or signals for fibroblasts on the implant surface. With the right peptides, the possibilities are endless. After the scaffold and cell colony are transplanted into the body, say into a knee, the native cartilage sends signals that tell the stem cell population to transform itself into cartilage. The same cells placed in bone will receive signals from those cells and become bone. The same should hold true for any environment in which stem cells can be placed.