Synopses & Reviews
Although there is great interest in the potential for using stem cells as cell replacements and other treatments for diseases that currently have no cure, research on the biology of human embryonic stem cells is still in its infancy. In Human Embryonic Stem Cells, pioneers, leaders, and experts in this emerging field join forces to address all the key issues in the use of human pluripotent stem cells for treating degenerative diseases or for replacing tissues lost from trauma. On the practical side, these topics range from the problems of deriving human embryonic stem cells and driving their differentiation along specific lineages, regulating their development into mature cells, and bringing stem cell therapy to clinical trials. The authors cover the criteria used by investigators in different fields to recognize mature phenotypes of specific tissues. Regulatory issues are addressed in discussions of the ethical debate surrounding the derivation of human embryonic stem cells and the current policies governing their use in the United States and abroad, including the rules and conditions regulating federal funding and questions of intellectual property. Reviewing the most pressing issues involved in human embryonic stem cell research, Human Embryonic Stem Cells, provides an invaluable sourcebook for researchers seeking a review of their basic biology and an unbiased assessment of their potential for new therapies.
Review
"This is an excellent compendium about human stem cells..." -Biologist
Synopsis
A discussion of all the key issues in the use of human pluripotent stem cells for treating degenerative diseases or for replacing tissues lost from trauma. On the practical side, the topics range from the problems of deriving human embryonic stem cells and driving their differentiation along specific lineages, regulating their development into mature cells, and bringing stem cell therapy to clinical trials. Regulatory issues are addressed in discussions of the ethical debate surrounding the derivation of human embryonic stem cells and the current policies governing their use in the United States and abroad, including the rules and conditions regulating federal funding and questions of intellectual property.
Table of Contents
Part I. Policy
Ethical Issues Associated with Pluripotent Stem Cells
Steve Usdin
A Researcher's Guide to Federally Funded Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in the United States
Gregory J. Downing
Intellectual Property of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Mark L. Rohrbaugh
Part II. Types of Pluripotent Cells
Embryonal Carcinoma Cells: The Malignant Counterparts of ES and EG Cells
Jonathan S. Draper, Harry Moore, and Peter W. Andrews
Human Pluripotent Cells from Bone Marrow
Felipe Prosper and Catherine M. Verfaillie
Protocols for the Isolation and Maintenance of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Melissa K. Carpenter, Chunhui Xu, Christine A. Daigh, Jessica E. Antosiewicz, and James A. Thomson
Subcloning and Alternative Methods for the Derivation and Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Michal Amit, Hanna Segev, Dorit Manor, and Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor
Part III. Differentiation
Differentiation of Neuroepithelia from Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Su-Chun Zhang
Pancreatic Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells
Nadya Lumelsky
Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes: Derivation and Characterization
Chunhui Xu and Melissa K. Carpenter
Vascular Lineage Differentiation from Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Sharon Gerecht Nir and Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor
Hematopoietic Progenitors Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Dan S. Kaufman
Part IV. Therapeutics
Human Embryonic vs Adult Stem Cells for Transplantation Therapies
Calvin B. Harley and Mahendra S. Rao
Genetic Manipulation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Micha Drukker and Nissim Benvenisty
Human Therapeutic Cloning
Jose B. Cibelli
Therapeutic Uses of Embryonic Stem Cells
Alexander Kamb, Mani Ramaswami, and Mahendra S. Rao
Human Embryonic Stem Cells and the Food and Drug Administration: Assuring the Safety of Novel Cellular Therapies
Donald W. Fink, Jr.
Studies of a Human Neuron-Like Cell Line in Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury: Preclinical and Clinical Perspectives
Paul J. Reier, John Q. Trojanowski, Virginia M-Y. Lee, and Margaret J. Velardo
Appendix I: Cell Lines and Companies Involved with Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Appendix II: Useful Websites