Regenerative Therapy Using Blood Derived Stem Cells

Blood has long been viewed as a conduit for therapy, stemming from the ancient days of phlebotomy to remove evil humors to the development of successful blood transfusions to replace missing blood components. The identification and characterization of hematopoietic stem cells by Drs. Till and McCulloch revolutionized the field and soon after, non-hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells were characterized from the blood and bone marrow. Some of these cell types and various blood-derived cell lineages are involved in the repair of various types of tissue damage that span the spectrum of medical disorders. The goal of this book is to provide an up-to-date review of the various types of blood-derived cells with regenerative capacity, identify opportunities for intervention by examining specific clinical applications, and recognize the regulatory environment that will encompass future therapies in regenerative medicine.

Recent scientific breakthroughs, celebrity patient advocates, and conflicting religious beliefs have come together to bring the state of stem cell researchâ€"specifically embryonic stem cell researchâ€"into the political crosshairs. President Bush's watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines. Millions of Americans could be affected by the continuing political debate among policymakers and the public. Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine provides a deeper exploration of the biological, ethical, and funding questions prompted by the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human cells. In terms accessible to lay readers, the book summarizes what we know about adult and embryonic stem cells and discusses how to go about the transition from mouse studies to research that has therapeutic implications for people. Perhaps most important, Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine also provides an overview of the moral and ethical problems that arise from the use of embryonic stem cells. This timely book compares the impact of public and private research funding and discusses approaches to appropriate research oversight. Based on the insights of leading scientists, ethicists, and other authorities, the book offers authoritative recommendations regarding the use of existing stem cell lines versus new lines in research, the important role of the federal government in this field of research, and other fundamental issues.

This book represents a major contribution to the emerging science of regenerative medicine using non-fetal sources of stem cells. The Editors, Dr Niranjan Bhattacharya and Professor Phillip Stubblefield, have brought together some of the most pre-eminent scientists working on regenerative medicine to share information on currently ongoing work in this area alongside unpublished observations that will help to shape the contours of future therapies. Regenerative Medicine: Using Non-Fetal Sources of Stem Cells discusses the potential clinical and therapeutic applications using non-fetal stem cells as well as providing instruction on the collection, isolation and characterization of stem cells from various non-fetal sources, such as menstrual blood, adipose tissue, breast milk and uprooted decidual teeth. This book will be an invaluable resource for both active researches and those entering the field. The Editors truly hope that the text will act as a stimulant to professionals and clinical scientists, who may be inspired to further the work of the pioneering scientists who have contributed to this volume.

Stem cells have generated considerable interest recently in the scientific, clinical, and public arenas. The third book in the Stem Cell Repair and Regeneration series offers contributions from numerous areas bridging medicine and the life sciences. Significant research activities in the tissue engineering or regenerative medicine (the term recently used) field started in the 1970s, and there is currently great excitement over the possibility of replacing damaged body parts through regenerative medicine. Potential strategies to replace, repair and restore the function of damaged tissues or organs include stem cell transplantation, transplantation of tissues engineered in the laboratory, and the induction of regeneration by the body's own cells. It is believed that novel cellular therapeutics outperform any medical device, recombinant protein or chemical compound. This volume explores novel stem cell therapeutic strategies for myriad diseases, including renal failure, retinal disease and myocardial infarction. Contents:The Biology of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (C Westwood & M O Clements)Mesenchymal Stem Cells: From Culture to Clinic (C A Gregory)Stem Cell Bioprocessing for Clinical Applications of Regenerative Medicine (A Mantalaris et al.)Defining and Overcoming the Immunological Barriers to Stem Cell Therapies (N J Robertson et al.)Activation of the Immune System: A Corollary of Transplantation with ES Cell-Derived Tissues (A S Boyd et al.)Suppression of HLA Expression by Lentivirus-Mediated Gene Transfer of siRNA Cassettes (N Kasahara)Cord Blood Cells for Myocardial Regeneration (C Stamm & M Nan)Clinical Trials in Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy: An Update (R Kam & I Dimarakis)Stem Cell Therapy in Neurodegenerative Disease (C T Flores & M Y Gordon)Adult Human Stem Cell Therapy for Ischemic Stroke (D Williamson et al.)Cell Therapy in Renal Disease (H D Humes)Regenerative Medicine of the Eye: A Short Review (D T Harris et al.)A Clearer View of Stem Cells in Retinal Disease (M D Hodges et al.)Limbal Epithelial Stem Cells: Biology and Therapeutic Potential (M Notara et al.)The Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Bone and Cartilage Repair (R Behan et al.) Readership: Life science scientists; biomedical researchers; academics, postgraduate students and advanced undergraduate students in cell biology, biochemistry and genetics; surgeons; clinicians; biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry professionals. Keywords:Stem Cell;Cardiac;Renal;RetinalKey Features:Comprehensive and up-to-date overview for clinicians and scientistsContains chapters by the field's leading scientists from some of the world's top research institutions and universitiesChapters cover basic stem cell science and topics related to many areas of translational “from bench to bedside” stem cell researchInformation presented in a form accessible to all interested students, clinicians and scientists

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.

This second book in the Stem Cell Repair and Regeneration series provides a deeper exploration of the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human stem cells.Regenerative medicine is an extremely fast-moving field which is evolving from the initial days of hype and excitement to a more realistic appraisal of the role of stem cells in the treatment of degenerative disorders. The series aims to keep abreast of these changes by combining new knowledge in stem cell biology and therapeutic applications.The current volume contains papers by the field's leading scientists and explores the current knowledge on cell therapy for different diseases and injured organs, including diabetes, liver and heart disease.