The Promises and Challenges of Regenerative Medicine

ISBN-13: 9783642421389 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 136 str.

John Morser;S -I Nishikawa

Opis

Ithaslongbeenknownthatamphibiaandotherlowerordervertebrates havethecapacitytoregeneratelimbsaswellasdamagedheartsorbrains. Overthepastdecade, therehasbeenamajorchangeinthewaythatthe potentialforregenerationinmammalsisviewed.Earlier, incontrastto the acceptance of regeneration in amphibia, it was generally believed that there was very limited if any capacity for regeneration in many mammalianorgansystemssuchastheheartandbrain.Thediscoveryof tissue-resident adult stem cells and the description of the properties of embryonic stem cells have altered this view. This change in paradigm VI Preface has led to the hope that these discoveries can be harnessed in medical practicetocurechronicdisablingdiseases. The use of tissue-resident adult stem cells depends on the ability to either mobilize them or to convert them from one lineage to another. These problems do not arise with embryonic stem cells. Instead, their useisfraughtwithethicalandpoliticalissuesaswellasthequestionof howtodirecttheirdifferentiationtowardthedesiredcelltype.Whichever approachistaken, issuesofsafetyhavetobeparamount.Inparticular, the roleofstemcellsintumorigenesisiscriticalinassessingtheirpotential clinicalutility. The Ernst Schering Research Foundation and the Riken Center on DevelopmentalBiologyjointlyorganizedaworkshopon ThePromises andChallengesofRegenerativeMedicine, whichtookplaceinKobe, Japan on 20 22 October 2004. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss the present state of knowledge and future directions in this important ?eld. Leading basic scientists and clinicians reviewed and discussedseveraltimelytopicswithinthreemainthemes: (1)evolution, development, andregeneration, includingstemcellsinPlanariaandstem cell niches; (2)embryonic and adult stem cells, including adiscussion of the regulatory system in Japan for human embryonic stem cells; and (3) regeneration in speci?c indications including a discussion of the role of stem cells in organs such as the skin, brain, liver, pancreas, cornea, andthecardiovascularsystem.Inaddition, theroleofstemcells in glioblastoma was presented along with the implications for other tumor

Spis treści

Melanocyte System for Studying Stem Cell Niche.- Establishment and Manipulation of Monkey and Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines for Biomedical Research.- Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derivation and Directed Differentiation.- In Search of the Elusive Epidermal Stem Cell.- Corneal Cells for Regeneration.- Polycomb Gene Product Bmi-1 Regulates Stem Cell Self-Renewal.- Directed Differentiation of Neural and Sensory Tissues from Embryonic Stem Cells In Vitro.- Stem Cell Biology for Vascular Regeneration.

Blurb

The attitude to the possibility of regeneration in mammals has changed in recent years to one of cautious optimism that the endogenous mechanisms can be exploited for the medical armentarium. In this volume leading experts discuss the molecular, in vivo and clinical aspects of the use of stem cells in various disease contexts. With the current excitement in the research and clinical communities over the potential of regenerative medicine it is hoped that novel therapies will emerge that target intractable degenerative diseases. The book contains accounts of the latest advances in stem cell biology from the foremost researchers in the field. It discusses the analysis and use of stem cells in basic biology but also their application in clinical practice and is therefore unique in combining basic and applied approaches.