Stem Cell and Gene-Based Therapy: Frontiers in Regenerative Medicine

The inability of the human body to be able significantly to self repair injured organs and tissues results in a considerable medical and social problem. During the last few years there has been incredible progress, and the achievements in experimental strategies for tissue regeneration, particularly in cell transplantation and stem cell research, have led to potential treatment options for many otherwise fatal conditions. These innovations hold promise for treating or preventing end-stage organ failure; cell therapy and tissue engineering of viable grafts with the potential to grow and remodel could provide prospective new solutions to the serious problems of organ donor shortage. Regenerative medicine - stem cell and gene-based therapy - offers a new approach for restoring function of damaged organs and tissues. Several books have been published on particular aspects of organ and/or tissue replacement but none cover the major new aspects and field of regenerative medicine. This title is therefore a timely addition to the literature. It brings together the major approaches to regenerative medicine in one text, which ensures that techniques learnt in one discipline are disseminated across other areas of medicine, allowing practitioners to gain knowledge not only of how regenerative medicine applies to their discipline directly but also how it could benefit their patients in the years to come.

From the reviews: "....The broad scope of topics will attract attention from the entire biomedical research community. The book provides a snap shot of current research, a vision of research opportunities, & hope for patients with chronic diseases." Bruce A Fenderson, Ph.D.(Thomas Jefferson University), Doody's book service, June 2006) "This book is a comprehensive compilation of chapters summarizing the progress made in the different therapeutic areas. The inclusion of a general introduction would have been helpful to put stem cell approaches in context with more conventional therapies. ... The book is comprehensive and readable making it suitable for students and experienced researchers ... ." (Christopher Ring, Microbiology Today, June, 2009)

Regenerative medicine promises to be one of the great future frontiers. Critical to the success of this area is stem cell research, and cell- and gene-based therapy. In this book, a variety of outstanding authors discuss important aspects of these research areas. Important topics include new types of cell therapies and stem cell-based therapy for angiogenesis and cardiac repair. They also include cell-therapy approaches in neu- logic areas such as Parkinson s disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. A third area that is explored involves the development of cell-based systems for cartilage and bone repair, bladder repair, and kidney regeneration. A fourth area involves important work in the eye, specifically, optic nerve regeneration, retinal repair, and ocular surface regene- tion. The potential of using insulin-producing cells or islets is also examined in this book, as are strategies for cord blood transplantation for various hematologic disorders. Finally, important areas of research involving skin regeneration and wound healing are discussed. This book should provide an excellent overview of the important areas in regenerative medicine with respect to cell and gene therapy and hopefully will be a u- ful guide for scientists doing research in these areas."

Regenerative medicine - stem cell and gene-based therapy - offers a new approach for restoring function of damaged organs and tissues. This is the first book to cover the major new aspects and field of regenerative medicine. This title is therefore a timely addition to the literature. It brings together the major approaches to regenerative medicine in one text, which ensures that techniques learnt in one discipline are disseminated across other areas of medicine.

Regenerative medicine - stem cell and gene-based therapy - provides a new clinical approach for restoring function of damaged organs and tissues. There has been incredible progress in experimental strategies for tissue regeneration, particularly in cell transplantation and stem cell research. These have led to potential treatment options for many otherwise fatal conditions, including end-stage organ failure. Cell therapy and tissue engineering of viable grafts could therefore provide prospective new solutions to the serious problems of organ donor shortage. Stem Cell and Gene-Based Therapy: Frontiers in Regenerative Medicine is written by the leading figures in the field of stem cells, gene therapy and tissue engineering and covers the major approaches to regenerative medicine, ensuring that techniques learnt in one discipline are disseminated across other areas of medicine. This allows practitioners to gain knowledge not only of how regenerative medicine applies to their own discipline directly but also how it will benefit their patients in the years to come. Consequently, the multidisciplinary nature of the book appeals to students, scientists and clinicians from a wide spectrum of disciplines, including cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, and dermatology.

Heart: Introduction.- Renovation of the Injured Heart with Myocardial Tissue Engineering.- Adult Stem Cells for Myocardial Tissue Repair.- Regeneration of the Functional Myocardium Using Human Embryonic Stem Cells.- Therapeutic Angiogenesis.- Cell Therapy for Heart Failure.- Neuro: Introduction.- Cell Transplantation for Diseases of Myelin.- Stem Cells as a Source for Cell Replacement in Parkinson's Disease.- Cell Replacement Therapy in Acute Stroke: Current State.- Gene Therapy to the Nervous System.- Musculoskeletal: Introduction.- Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Where Can You Find Them? How Can You Use Them?- Basic to Clinical Cartilage Engineering, Past, Present and Future Discussions.- Cartilage.- Bone Regeneration.- Osteoarthritis and Mesenchymal Cells - The Prospects for Repair of the Disease by Cell Transplantation and Tissue Engineering.- Kidney.- Introduction.- Progenitor Cell Therapy for Kidney Regeneration.- Tissue Engineering: The Bladder.- Eye.- Introduction.- Neuroprotection in Ophthalmology: A Review.- Autoimmunity for CNS Maintenance, Regeneration and Renewal: Development of a T Cell-Based Vaccination Against Neurodegeneration.- Retinal Repair by Stem Cell Transplantation.- Induction of Ocular Surface Regeneration.- Pancreas.- Introduction.- Insulin-Producing Cells Generated from Non-Pancreatic Tissues Islets from Pancreatic Progenitor Cells (Duct, Islet, and Exocrine).- Generation of Islets from Pancreatic Progenitor Cells.- Embryonic Stem Cells as a Source of Pancreatic Precursors and Islet Cells in Vitro.- Hematology.- Introduction.- Human Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation: A viable Option for Stem Cell Graft.- Nonmyeloablative Stem-Cell Transplantation in the Treatment of Hematological Malignancies.- Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation from HLA Haploidentical Donor.- Skin.- Introduction.- Wound Healing and Skin Substitutes.- Skin Regeneration From Multipotent Adult and Embryonic Stem Cells.