Search

Objective: The importance and potential of the use of stem cells as therapeutic tools is enormous and therefore, health professionals should be expected to have thorough knowledge and a positive attitude towards their utilization in medical practice. Hence this study was carried out to report and assess the knowledge and attitude regarding stem cell in our region. Methodology: The study was conducted amongst the residents employed at the Aga Khan University hospital, Karachi Pakistan from September-October 2022 with a sample size of 57. Results: Amongst our survey participants, 33 (54.2%) responded with a score of 48 and above (i.e., 60% or above); 25 (40.9%) of the study participants scored between 50-60% only 3 (4.9%) had a score 40-50% Conclusion: Our survey shows a reasonable level of knowledge of the generic principles and implications Stem cell therapy amongst the residents Keywords: Stem cell, Head and Neck, Risk, Cell, Tissue, Therapy

This article mainly examines stem cells related patents. We first provided a general background on patents. Then, we investigated patents and how they influence innovation in general, and stem cells in particular. Challenges to patenting inventions and innovations associated with stem cells’ field of study in the US and Europe are provided.

The human body possesses an endogenous regeneration system based on stem cells, which may be found in practically every tissue type. They are classified as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or nonembryonic stem cells (NESCs). Despite its enormous promise, the use of ESCs is presently limited because of ethical and scientific issues. Stem cells have the potential to improve healthcare by using and boosting the body's inherent regenerative capabilities. Although the stem cells offer an enormous promise for tissue regeneration and repair, much more about their biology, administration, and safety must be studied before they may be employed therapeutically. Stem cells and their derivatives will have enormous medical promise in the future. Current animal and laboratory investigations are looking into the viability of bringing stem cell therapy into clinical practice for regeneration in muscular dystrophy, intervertebral disc degeneration, cerebral infarctions, and transplantation medicine. This article delves into the many aspects at play, as well as current situation and possible issues with stem cell treatment in patient care and management (Fig. 1, Ref. 86). Keywords: stem cells, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, stem cell application.

The applicability of machine learning-based analysis in the field of biomedical field has been very beneficial in determining the biological mechanism and validation for a wide range of biological scenarios. This approach is also gaining momentum in various stem cells research activities, specifically for stem cells characterization and differentiation pattern. The adoption of similar computational approaches to study and assess biosafety and bioefficacy risks of stem cells for clinical application is the next progression. In particular where tumorigenicity has been one of the major concerns in stem cells therapy. There are many factors influencing tumorigenicity in stem cells which may be difficult to capture under conventional laboratory settings. In addition, given the possible multifactorial etiology of tumorigenicity, defining a one-size-fits-all strategy to test such risk in stem cells might not be feasible and may compromise stem cells safety and effectiveness in therapy. Given the increase in biological datasets (which is no longer limited to genomic data) and the advancement of health informatics powered by state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, there exists a potential for practical application in biosafety and bioefficacy of stem cells therapy. Here, we identified relevant machine learning approaches and suggested protocols intended for stem cells research focusing on the possibility of its usage for stem cells biosafety and bioefficacy assessment. Ultimately, generating models that may assist healthcare professionals to make a better-informed decision in stem cell therapy.

Zebrafish is an excellent model for observing human genetic disorders. Hearing impairment is the most common genetic disorder including syndromic & non-syndromic hearing loss. Stem cell therapies are considered a new hope in case of hearing impairment. Stem cells are the master cells of the human body and having the capability to differentiate into any other form of cells in more than 200 types of cells (regeneration). This review article describes zebrafish as a biomedical model for stem cell research in hearing impairment, which revolutionized the biomedical arena to compete for the challenges.

Zebrafish is an excellent model for observing human genetic disorders. Hearing impairment is the most common genetic disorder including syndromic & non-syndromic hearing loss. Stem cell therapies are considered a new hope in case of hearing impairment. Stem cells are the master cells of the human body and having the capability to differentiate into any other form of cells in more than 200 types of cells (regeneration). This review article describes zebrafish as a biomedical model for stem cell research in hearing impairment, which revolutionized the biomedical arena to compete for the challenges.

Microfabrication and microfluidics contribute to the research of cellular functions of cells and their interaction with their environment. Previously, it has been shown that microfluidics can contribute to the isolation, selection, characterization and migration of cells. This review aims to provide stem cell researchers with a toolkit of microtechnology (mT) instruments for elucidating complex stem cells functions which are challenging to decipher with traditional assays and animal models. These microdevices are able to investigate about the differentiation and niche interaction, stem cells transcriptomics, therapeutic functions and the capture of their secreted microvesicles. In conclusion, microtechnology will allow a more realistic assessment of stem cells properties, driving and accelerating the translation of regenerative medicine approaches to the clinic.

The use of fetal bovine serum hinders obtaining reproducible experimental results and should also be removed in hormone and growth factor studies. In particular hormones found in FBS act globally on cancer cell physiology and influence transcriptome and metabolome. The aim of our study was to develop a renal carcinoma serum free culture model optimized for (embryonal) renal cells in order to select the best study model for downstream auto-, para- or endocrine research. Secondary aim was to verify renal carcinoma stem cell culture for this application. In the study, we have cultured renal cell carcinoma primary tumour cell line (786-0) as well as human kidney cancer stem cells in standard 2D monolayer cultures in Roswell Park Memorial Institute Medium or Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium and Complete Human Kidney Cancer Stem Cell Medium, respectively. Serum-free, animal-component free Human Embryonic Kidney 293 media were tested. Our results revealed that xeno-free embryonal renal cells optimized culture media provide a useful tool in RCC cancer biology research and at the same time enable effective growth of RCC. We propose bio-mimic RCC cell culture model with specific serum-free and xeno-free medium that promote RCC cell viability.

Camels have cultural value in the Arab society and are considered one of the most important animals in the Arabian Peninsula and arid environments, due to the distinct characteristics of their meat and milk. Moreover, there is a great interest in camel racing and beauty shows. Therefore, treatment of elite animals, increasing the number of camels as well as genetic improvement is an essential demand. Because there are unique camels for milk production, meat, or in racing, the need to propagate genetically superior camels is urgent. Recent biotechnological approaches such as stem cells hold great promise for biomedical research, genetic engineering, and as a model for studying early mammalian developmental biology. Establishment of stem cells lines from camels would tremendously facilitate regenerative medicine for genetically superior camels, permit the gene targeting of the camel genome and the generation of genetically modified animal and be a mean for genome conservation for the elite breeds. In this mini-review, we show the current research, future horizons and potential applications for camel stem cells. Keywords: Camel, Cloning, Embryo, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells

Embrionic stem cells research, as opposed to hematopoietic stem cells research, has always stirred up many controversies of ethical nature that have projected their effects in the specialized doctrine of the domain of medical bioethics and law. Some of these controversies have been transposed at the legislative level (both by international normative acts and by the national laws of the states) while others are not yet de object of consensus. All that is not transposed by law remains in the exclusive sphere of ethics, so the ethical discussion in embryonic stem cell research is not only relevant for today's modern medicine but also of the utmost importance for a category of specialists in various research fields.

Submitted by tgoncalv@stj.jus.br (tgoncalv@stj.jus.br) on 2019-03-20T18:51:23Z No. of bitstreams: 2 limites_eticos_juridicos_abdalla.pdf: 190868 bytes, checksum: 80989f2ae4497a19a85dc122900a4b24 (MD5) license.txt: 1239 bytes, checksum: c9b4c351324448672315a00808efb725 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by betanial@stj.jus.br (betanial@stj.jus.br) on 2019-03-28T18:50:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 limites_eticos_juridicos_abdalla.pdf: 190868 bytes, checksum: 80989f2ae4497a19a85dc122900a4b24 (MD5) license.txt: 1239 bytes, checksum: c9b4c351324448672315a00808efb725 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2019-03-28T18:50:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 limites_eticos_juridicos_abdalla.pdf: 190868 bytes, checksum: 80989f2ae4497a19a85dc122900a4b24 (MD5) license.txt: 1239 bytes, checksum: c9b4c351324448672315a00808efb725 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019

The advancement in human stem cell research has promised a viable alternative treatment for a range of ‘incurable diseases’ such as neurological diseases. To date, several studies have documented substantial evidences on the therapeutic properties of stem cells in promoting repair in different diseases including common neurological disorders i.e. ischaemic stroke and spinal cord injury. However, the progress of stem cell research has been surrounded by ethical issues which largely due to the usage of human embryos as one of the sources. These embryonic stem cells which originally derived from human embryo of aborted foetus or already existing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) lines, has sparked an intense moral and religious argument among people of various faith, including Muslim community. From the therapeutic point of view, amongst the currently available stem cells, hESCs show the greatest potential for the broadest range of cell replacement therapies and are regarded as the most commercially viable. This review focuses on the major ethical issues, particularly to Muslim community, related to human embryonic stem cells research with special emphasis on the moral status of the embryo and the beginning of life according to the Islamic ethics and rulings. In this paper, we also discuss some ethical positions towards embryonic stem cell research in the Islamic world, including official regulations existing in some Muslim countries. We examine the justification and the necessity on the usage of hESCs following the newly discovered Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPSCs) in the laboratory. In addition, we supplement the discussions with the general views and positions from the other two Abrahamic religions i.e. Christianity and Judaism.

The conventional view is that female mammals lose their ability to generate new germ cells after birth. However, in recent years, researchers have successfully isolated and cultured a type of germ cell from postnatal ovaries in a variety of mammalian species that have the abilities of self-proliferation and differentiation into oocytes, and this finding indicates that putative germline stem cells maybe exist in the postnatal mammalian ovaries. Herein, we review the research history and discovery of putative female germline stem cells, the concept that putative germline stem cells exist in the postnatal mammalian ovary, and the research progress, challenge, and application of putative germline stem cells in recent years.

Perinatal tissues possess numerous types of stem (stromal) cells, which are considered effective candidates for cell therapy. These tissues possess common characteristics of both embryonic and adult stem cells, and cell therapists have begun to use perinatal stem cells to treat several diseases. Despite their benefits, these cells are considered biological waste and usually discarded after delivery. This review highlights the characteristics and potential clinical applications in regenerative medicine of perinatal stem cell sources – cord blood hematopoietic stem cells, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, amniotic membrane stem cells, amniotic fluid stem cells, amniotic epithelial cells and chorionic mesenchymal stem cells.

Gene engineering has attracted worldwide attention because of its ability of precise location of disease mutations in genome. As a new gene editing technology, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) system is simple, fast, and accurate to operate at a specific gene site. It overcomes the long-standing problem of conventional operation. At the same time, stem cells are a good foundation for establishing disease model in vitro. Therefore, it has great significance to combine stem cells with the rapidly developing gene manipulation techniques. In this review, we mainly focus on the mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its application in stem cell genomic editing, so as to pave the way for promoting rapid application and development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Cancer stem cells have been defined as cells within a tumor that possesses the capacity to self-renew and to cause the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumor. Experimental evidence showed that these highly tumorigenic cells might be responsible for initiation and progression of cancer into invasive and metastatic disease. Eradicating prostate cancer stem cells, the root of the problem, has been considered as a promising target in prostate cancer treatment to improve the prognosis for patients with advanced stages of the disease.

In this paper, a multifunctional peptide-fluorescent-magnetic nanocomposites (Fe3O4@PEI@Cy5.5@PEG@HCBP-1 NPs) was synthesized via a layer-by-layer approach for potential application to cancer diagnoses. The multifunctional nanocomposites have great dispersibility and homogeneous particle sizes in aqueous solution. Meanwhile, it has perfect hemocompatibility and satisfying cytocompatibility in a relatively high concentration. Data from in vitro cytotoxicity assay indicated that the nanocomposites could recognize the lung cancer stem cells (CSCs) specifically and enrich the HCBP-1 positive CSCs from H460 tumor xenografts effectively. Additionally, the results of in vivo live fluorescent imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the nanocomposites could identify lung CSCs in tumor xenografts. These results suggested that the nanocomposites could be used as a potential cancer diagnostic agent through modifying diverse fluorescence dyes and targeting ligands on its surface. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.8 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths in 2012. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is one of two types of lung cancer, accounts for 85–90% of all lung cancers. Despite advances in therapy, lung cancer still remains a leading cause of death. Cancer relapse and dissemination after treatment indicates the existence of a niche of cancer cells that are not fully eradicated by current therapies. These chemoresistant populations of cancer cells are called cancer stem cells (CSCs) because they possess the self-renewal and differentiation capabilities similar to those of normal stem cells. Targeting the niche of CSCs in combination with chemotherapy might provide a promising strategy to eradicate these cells. Thus, understanding the characteristics of CSCs has become a focus of studies of NSCLC therapies.

Lung cancer is one of the most common tumor, which lacks of effective clinical treatment to lead to desirable prognosis. According to cancer stem cell hypothesis, lung cancer stem cells are considered to be responsible for carcinogenesis, development, metastasis, recurrence, invasion, resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy of lung cancer. In recent years, more and more institutes used glycosylated CD133 epitopes to define, isolate, purify lung cancer stem cells. However, along with deeply research, the application of CD133 epitopes in lung cancer stem cell research is questioned. The utilization and limitation of CD133 epitopes in lung cancer stem cells research for the past few years is summaried in this review.

Recent progress in human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) and genome editing technologies has opened up new avenues for the investigation of human biology in health and disease as well as the development of therapeutic applications. Gene editing approaches with programmable nucleases have been successfully established in hPSCs and applied to study gene function, develop novel animal models and perform genetic and chemical screens. Several studies now show the successful editing of disease-linked alleles in somatic and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as well as in animal models. Importantly, initial clinical trials have shown the safety of programmable nucleases for ex vivo somatic gene therapy. In this context, the unlimited proliferation potential and the pluripotent properties of iPSCs may offer advantages for gene targeting approaches. However, many technical and safety issues still need to be addressed before genome-edited iPSCs are translated into the clinical setting. Here, we provide an overview of the available genome editing systems and discuss opportunities and perspectives for their application in basic research and clinical practice, with a particular focus on hPSC based research and gene therapy approaches. Finally, we discuss recent research on human germline genome editing and its social and ethical implications.

The conventional view is that female mammals lose their ability to generate new germ cells after birth. However, in recent years, researchers have successfully isolated and cultured a type of germ cell from postnatal ovaries in a variety of mammalian species that have the abilities of self-proliferation and differentiation into oocytes, and this finding indicates that putative germline stem cells maybe exist in the postnatal mammalian ovaries. Herein, we review the research history and discovery of putative female germline stem cells, the concept that putative germline stem cells exist in the postnatal mammalian ovary, and the research progress, challenge, and application of putative germline stem cells in recent years.

Stem cell research has appeared as a silver lining of hope over the dark cloud of some untreatable diseases like cancer and certain neurological disorders. Embryonic stem cells, the tabula rasa, holds much promise in this regard owing to its totipotency, howbeit, it has whirled a severe tempest all over the world on the point of humanity. The present review article includes the chronology of stem cell research with special reference to the techniques that were evolved in due course of research, the controversy over the application of embryonic stem cells for therapeutics and present status of stem cell research under Indian context. India is being increasingly alluring the foreign companies to invest in this project since a huge prospect in stem cell marketing business is foreseen in this country. [Vet. World 2011; 4(6.000): 281-286]

The term 'stem cell' most commonly refers to embryonic stem cells, particularly in the lay media; however, it also describes other cell types. A stem cell represents a cell of multi-lineage potential with the ability for self-renewal. It is now clear that the plasticity and immortality of a given stem cell will depend on what type of stem cell it is, whether an embryonic stem cell, a fetal-placental stem cell or an adult stem cell. Stem cells offer great promise as cell-based therapies for the future. With evolving technology, much of the socio-political debate regarding stem cells can now be avoided.

This paper reviews the recent studies on development of nanotechnology in the field of induced pluripotent and embryonic stem cells. Stem cell therapy is a promising therapy that can improve the quality of life for patients with refractory diseases. However, this option is limited by the scarcity of tissues, ethical problem, and tumorigenicity. Nanotechnology is another promising therapy that can be used to mimic the extracellular matrix, label the implanted cells, and also can be applied in the tissue engineering. In this review, we briefly introduce implementation of nanotechnology in induced pluripotent and embryonic stem cells research. Finally, the potential application of nanotechnology in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is also discussed.

Research in developmental biology has led to the discovery of different types of stem cells (totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent stem cells) that can give rise to multiple tissue types. This review summarizes a description about the stem cell concept, different type of stem cells and their potential applications. The face of extraordinary advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases, devastating illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and diseases of the nervous system, continue to deprive people of health, independence and well-being has been reviewed in this study. Stem cell research leading to prospective therapies in reparative medicine has the potential to affect the lives of millions of people around the world and there is a good reason to be optimistic. The road towards the development of an effective cell-based therapy for widespread use is long and involves overcoming numerous technical, legislative, ethical and safety issues. © 2011 Asian Network for Scientific Information.

Stem cell based tissue engineering therapies involve the administration of ex vivo manipulated stem cell populations with the purpose of repairing and regenerating damaged or diseased tissue. Currently available methods of monitoring transplanted cells are quite limited. To monitor the outcomes of stem cell therapy longitudinally requires the development of non-destructive strategies that are capable of identifying the location, magnitude, and duration of cellular survival and fate. The recent development of imaging techniques offers great potential to address these critical issues by non-invasively tracking the fate of the transplanted cells. This review offers a focused presentation of some examples of the use of imaging techniques connected to the nanotechnological world in research areas related to stem cells. In particular investigations will be considered concerning tissue-engineered bone, treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration, treatment by human stem cells of muscular dystrophy of Duchenne in small animal models and the repair of spinal cord injuries.

In practice, stem-cell and embryo research have encountered little resistance in Arab and Islamic countries, and it is already in progress in Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, and elsewhere. The Islamic scientific community is largely free of religious inhibitions that jeopardize attempts of scientists in Christian oriented countries, for example, to engage in embryo and stem-cell research. The reason lies with the nature of Islamic medical ethics. According to this ethical system, obtaining knowledge is a human’s duty, and an act of faith. Also, science is revealed by Allah to humans to serve humankind, and human life must be saved by all possible means. According to Islamic theology, “humanity”/the soul, is inspired into the fetus only at 120 days of pregnancy. Therefore, the use of fetuses younger than 120 days in research, and especially if sick or disabled and with a short life expectancy, if born alive at all, is not prohibited, provided that certain stipulations are followed. The use of superfluous zygotes in research is also encouraged, instead of their simply being destroyed. The principle that guides the ethics is that the public good [maslaha] gained from the fruits of the research outweighs the harm [darar]. The research is welcomed.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology has widely been used for modeling of various genetic diseases. In the disease-modeling iPSC studies, it is necessary to generate hiPSC lines from peripheral tissues of multiple patients and of multiple age- and sex-matched control individuals in order to minimize the differences in genetic background that can affect the results. However, we can generate disease model-hiPSC line with mutant allele being expressing and normal control-hiPSC line with normal allele being expressing from a patient with an X-linked dominant disease such as Rett syndrome, taking advantage of use of the genetic nature (X-chromosome inactivation) and the hiPSC nature (monoclonal proliferation). Furthermore, it may be a straightforward way to identify drug candidates that normalize or minimize the abnormal features and gene expression patterns by a comparative study between mutant active- and normal active-hiPSC lines. Such drug-screening strategy can also be applicable to more major X-linked recessive disease such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Fabry disease by generating hiPSC lines from fibroblasts from the heterozygous females. Therefore, X-linked diseases may be efficient targets for drug screening using hiPSC derived from the patients, since faster drug screening hiPSC studies can be conducted for X-linked diseases compared with autosomal diseases by utilizing the genetic natures and the hiPSC nature.

The past several years have witnessed significant advances in stem cell therapy, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Graphene, with its unique properties such as high electrical conductivity, elasticity and good molecule absorption, have potential for creating the next generation of biomaterials. This review summarizes the interrelationship between graphene and stem cells. The analysis of graphene when applied on mesenchymal stem cells, neural stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells, periodontal ligament stem cells, human adipose-derived stem cells and cancer stem cells, and how graphene influences cell behavior and differentiation are discussed in details.

Extracellular matrix can influence stem cell choices, such as self-renewal, quiescence, migration, proliferation, phenotype maintenance, differentiation, or apoptosis. Three aspects of extracellular matrix were extensively studied during the last decade: physical properties, spatial presentation of adhesive epitopes, and molecular complexity. Over 15 different parameters have been shown to influence stem cell choices. Physical aspects include stiffness (or elasticity), viscoelasticity, pore size, porosity, amplitude and frequency of static and dynamic deformations applied to the matrix. Spatial aspects include scaffold dimensionality (2D or 3D) and thickness; cell polarity; area, shape, and microscale topography of cell adhesion surface; epitope concentration, epitope clustering characteristics (number of epitopes per cluster, spacing between epitopes within cluster, spacing between separate clusters, cluster patterns, and level of disorder in epitope arrangement), and nanotopography. Biochemical characteristics of natural extracellular matrix molecules regard diversity and structural complexity of matrix molecules, affinity and specificity of epitope interaction with cell receptors, role of non-affinity domains, complexity of supramolecular organization, and co-signaling by growth factors or matrix epitopes. Synergy between several matrix aspects enables stem cells to retain their function in vivo and may be a key to generation of long-term, robust, and effective in vitro stem cell culture systems.

Extracellular matrix can influence stem cell choices, such as self-renewal, quiescence, migration, proliferation, phenotype maintenance, differentiation, or apoptosis. Three aspects of extracellular matrix were extensively studied during the last decade: physical properties, spatial presentation of adhesive epitopes, and molecular complexity. Over 15 different parameters have been shown to influence stem cell choices. Physical aspects include stiffness (or elasticity), viscoelasticity, pore size, porosity, amplitude and frequency of static and dynamic deformations applied to the matrix. Spatial aspects include scaffold dimensionality (2D or 3D) and thickness; cell polarity; area, shape, and microscale topography of cell adhesion surface; epitope concentration, epitope clustering characteristics (number of epitopes per cluster, spacing between epitopes within cluster, spacing between separate clusters, cluster patterns, and level of disorder in epitope arrangement), and nanotopography. Biochemical characteristics of natural extracellular matrix molecules regard diversity and structural complexity of matrix molecules, affinity and specificity of epitope interaction with cell receptors, role of non-affinity domains, complexity of supramolecular organization, and co-signaling by growth factors or matrix epitopes. Synergy between several matrix aspects enables stem cells to retain their function in vivo and may be a key to generation of long-term, robust, and effective in vitro stem cell culture systems.

CrossRef, Google Scholar, Global Impact Factor, Genamics, Index Copernicus, Directory of Open Access Journals, WorldCat, Electronic Journals Library (EZB), Universitatsbibliothek Leipzig, Hamburg University, UTS (University of Technology, Sydney): Library, International Society of Universal Research in Sciences (EyeSource), Journal Seeker, WZB, Socolar, BioRes, Indian Science, Jadoun Science, Jour-Informatics, Journal Directory, JournalTOCs, Academic Journals Database, Journal Quality Evaluation Report, PDOAJ, Science Central, Journal Impact Factor, NewJour, Open Science Directory, Directory of Research Journals Indexing, Open Access Library, International Impact Factor Services, SciSeek, Cabell’s Directories, Scientific Indexing Services, CiteFactor, UniSA Library, InfoBase Index, Infomine, Getinfo, Open Academic Journals Index, HINARI, etc.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), represented by embryonic stem (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), are attracting increasing attention in various research fields. However, their application in a clinical scenario must overcome an important hurdle given that these cells are potentially tumorigenic. This inherent problem becomes more significant as the number of transplanted cells becomes larger. In this Progress Report, recent findings concerning a novel glycan marker for hPSCs are described, as well as attempts made in relation to its practical application to regenerative medicine. In line with current thinking in the glycoscience field, it is assumed that cellular glycomes are closely related to cell functions. Based on this premise, hESCs and hiPSCs are analyzed by an advanced glycan profiling technology--the high-density lectin microarray. It is found that all human iPSCs derived from different tissular origins show essentially the same glycan profiles, which are typified by several characteristic structural features. In addition, a recombinant lectin probe, rBC2LCN, which shows rigorous specificity to H type 1 and 3 glycan structures, is found to serve as an excellent probe for hPSCs.

Prostate cancer is one of the most seriously malignant diseases threatening men's health, and the mechanisms of its initiation and progression are not yet completely understood. Recent years have witnessed distinct advances in researches on prostate cancer stem cells in many aspects using different sources of materials, such as human prostate cancer tissues, human prostate cancer cell lines, and mouse models of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer stem cell study offers a new insight into the mechanisms of the initiation and progression of prostate cancer and contributes positively to its treatment. This article presents an overview on the prostate cancer stem cell markers utilized in the isolation and identification of prostate cancer stem cells.

To evaluate the Italian physicians' knowledge/information level about the therapeutic potential of stem cells, the research choice between embryonic and cordonal stem cells, and the preference between autologous and heterologous storage of cordonal stem cells, we performed a national survey. The questionnaire—distributed to 3361 physicians—involved physicians of different religious orientations and of different medical specialities. Most of the physicians involved (67%) were Catholics, and the majority were gynaecologists and paediatricians (43%) who are mainly in charge to inform future mothers about the possibility of cordonal stem cells conservation. The majority of the physicians interviewed do not have specific knowledge about stem cells (59%), most of them having only generic information (92%). The largest part of physicians prefer to use umbilical cord blood cells rather than embryonic stem cells. Nevertheless, a large percentage of physicians were in favour of embryo research, especially when embryos are supernumerary (44% versus 34%). Eighty-seven % of the physicians interviewed proved to have a general knowledge about stem cells and believe in their therapeutic potential. They prefer research on cordonal stem cells rather than on embryo stem cells. Although they are in favour of heterologous stem cells donation, they still prefer cryopreservation for personal use.

Lung cancer is one of the most common tumor, which lacks of effective clinical treatment to lead to desirable prognosis. According to cancer stem cell hypothesis, lung cancer stem cells are considered to be responsible for carcinogenesis, development, metastasis, recurrence, invasion, resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy of lung cancer. In recent years, more and more institutes used glycosylated CD133 epitopes to define, isolate, purify lung cancer stem cells. However, along with deeply research, the application of CD133 epitopes in lung cancer stem cell research is questioned. The utilization and limitation of CD133 epitopes in lung cancer stem cells research for the past few years is summaried in this review.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis is increasingly being accepted as a model to explain for the functional heterogeneity that is commonly observed in solid tumors. According to this hypothesis, there exists a hierarchical organization of cells within the tumor, in which a differential subpopulation of stem-like cells is responsible for sustaining and recurrence of tumor growth. CSCs have been shown to exist in a variety of solid tumors especially those with known resistant phenotypes such as breast, prostate and pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In all these models, the commonality of deregulation of three crucial pathways; Wnt, notch and hedgehog that maintain CSC self-renewal capacity is emerging. Collectively these major pathways and have been linked to the observed resistance of CSC to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The existing lack of knowledge and our incomplete understanding of the molecular signatures associated with CSCs highlight the need for better approaches in both isolation and identification of unique pathways associated with these cells. In this direction, computational biology, especially systems and network approaches, have proven to be of great utility in unraveling pathway complexities such as those associated with CSCs. With highlights on the most up-to-date molecular, network, cellular, clinical, and therapeutic cancer research findings, this article tends to provide a wealth of insights on systems and network biology approaches to CSC marker identification, the mechanism through which they evade treatment as well as therapeutic approaches that will help in conquering these elusive cells in incurable and refractory malignancies.

The possibility to isolate, cultivate, preserve, characterize and differentiate Human Embryonic Stem Cells (ES) discovered by James Thomson and his colleagues in 1998 was a milestone in the history of Stem Cell Research. Immediately after this discovery many speculations were made about the therapeutic possibilities of ES, motivated by ideological, political and economic aspects. The episode made clear the lack of scientific rationality and ethics when assessing realities as meaningful as those of human embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization techniques (IVF) or human eggs. Therapeutic Cloning as a promise to produce ″tailored″ Stem Cells reported by Hwang and his team in 2004, ended up being a scandal within the scientific community. The technical difficulties and ethical controversies that arose from obtaining ES were insurmountable. In 2010 only two clinical trials were reported using these cells. Those trials were abandoned in late 2011 arguing financial reasons. The discovery of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPS) in 2006 in mice and in 2007 in humans, represented the possibility of obtaining pluripotent stem cells without the need to destroy embryos. Today, the absence of clinical trials using ES, caused by financial difficulties as a result of its ineffectiveness, anticipates that the use of ES will be limited to certain experimental controls. Probably, the main contribution of Embryonic Stem Cells will be the understanding that biomedical research should follow an ethically and rationally based rigorous method that cannot be ignore.

The main objective of this study was to develop experimental nephrotoxicity model in vivo and to assess its’ applicability for stem cell research. 9–12 weeks old male Wistar rats were chosen for the establishment of this model. During the experiment rats were housed in individual metabolic cages and maintained under standard conditions. Gentamicin sulphate solution for injection (40mg/1ml) was chosen as a toxicant. Toxic dose – genamicin 80 mg/kg/d i. p. for 7 consecutive days. 3 groups were constituted for the study: I group – control group (i. p. injection of saline 1.5 ml for 14 consecutive days), II group – therapeutic group (i. p. injection of genamicin 5mg/kg/d for 14 consecutive days), III group – acute kidney injury group (i. p. injection of genamicin 80mg/kg/d for 7 consecutive days). We evaluated physiological parameters, behavioural parameters, biochemical urine and blood parameters, fractional excretion parameters, glomerular filtration rate and histological kidney parameters. All parameters were compared between groups. Gentamicin administration in a very high dose (80 mg/kg/d i. p. for 7 consecutive days) caused functional and morphological renal changes and induced acute kidney injury, which was marked by statistically significant changes of physiological, behavioural, biochemical, fractional excretion, glomerular filtration rate and histological parameters, comparing with the same parameters of control and therapeutic groups. Nephrotoxicity model was applied for the pilot experiment with stem cells. Isolated and cultured muscle derived stem cell i. p. injection (dose – 150.000–200.000 cell/injection) was administrated to III group rats 24 hours after last gentamicin injection. In the end of the pilot experiment stem cell injection demonstrated the influence on better kidney regeneration. Data collected during the pilot experiment demonstrates the applicability of the established nephrotoxicity model for preclinical stem cell research.

The study of cardiac regeneration can have many forms in which it is defined. It can not only be the ability to add new myocardium to dead or dying tissues, but also include the prevention of cardiac tissue degeneration, reversal of tissue remodeling, and the maintenance of systolic and diastolic function in the incidence of tissue damage, which can lead to subsequent heart failure progression. The use of stem cells for cardiac regeneration represents a growing field of new therapies for patients with end stage cardiac disease. Various studies have noted promising results in the recovery and reparation of these tissues. Cumulatively, their goals have become the identification of the most suitable cell type, as well as how to maximize functional efficiency and cost effectiveness for practical application. Many protocols simply do not ensure adequate cell engraftment, viability, and ultimately the return of normal tissue function. Investigators seek to determine how these processes can be enhanced or manipulated to promote cardiac regeneration in hopes of eventually making their clinical use a standard practice.

In the last few years, we and other few groups have built a solid scientific background aimed at demonstrating the existence of resident stem cells in adult large and medium-sized human arteries. These cells are engaged in the regulation of normal arterial wall homeostasis but under stressful circumstances they are also supposed to contribute to arterial wall disease. In our experience, electron microscopy (EM) has been of great help in solving several critical issues that have arisen in the execution of research; further EM was invaluable in making critical decisions for choosing the best method for subsequent study of proteins and transcripts. In this study, we report some of the situations where we feel that EM plays a major role in vascular stem cell research. Characterization of the primary cell isolate. There are numerous methods used for the isolation of cells from the arterial wall. The more selective make use of magnetic beads coated with specific antibodies directed against surface molecules selectively expressed by the cell population of interest. In the case of CD34 positive populations EM has allowed us to verify how the cells isolated by this method are homogenous. For other investigation purposes, methods of isolation making use of enzymes are more appropriate; in this case, it is often necessary grow cells in suspension or in adhesion to plastic. Before establishing of culture and during the early passages (1-3), EM shows that cell isolates are composed of several cytotypes which are then lost in the course of the next passages. The selection of, for example, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) that is achieved by cell adhesion to plastic, is never absolute and this raises doubts about the true differentiation potential of these cells. Characterization of resident vascular wall-mesenchymal cells (vw-MSC). The MSC are considered necessary to keep the architecture of the stem cell niche and to maintain in good health more embryonic-like stem cells and progenitors. MSC are currently identified by using a panel of monoclonal antibodies against surface molecules, i.e., CD44, CD90, CD105, CD166. EM allows to reveal the subcellular morphology of the MSC that is mesenchymal in nature and to assume, for comparison with the normal cell architecture of the arterial wall, the putative anatomical location of the niche stem. Our studies have thus allowed us to focus attention on the adventitia and in particular on the vasa vasorum compartment. Identification of the stem cell niche. The vasa vasorum constitute a branched vascular system that has the function of oxygenate and nourish the arterial wall. The vasa vasorum can be distinguished on the basis of their size in first order vasa vasorum, with a diameter greater than 100 micrometers, and second order vasa vasorum, with a diameter of less than 100 micrometers. These classes of vasa vasorum have a similar cell composition with endothelial cells and pericytes. By means of immunohistochemistry and monoclonal antibodies against nestin, an intermediate filament originally seen in brain stem cells, and its promoter WT1, we have observed that some vasa vasorum cells intensely co-express these two molecules; these vasa vasorum are collected in hot spots placed within a particular organoid structure that aggregates nerva vasorum, arterioles, venules and less than 50 micrometers-sized vasa vasorum. Using EM, we observed prominent perivascular collections of spindle cells with extremely thin and long cytoplasmic projections which establish functional contacts between structures belonging to different morphological and functional compartments. These cells have the potential to correspond to the MSC that we isolate from the arterial wall. This organoid adventitia area may represent the putative vascular stem cell niche. Establishing the differentiating potential of MSC. To exploit the differentiating potential and plasticity of MSC classical histochemical methods, i.e. oil red O, von Kossa and Alcian-PAS staining, are frequently employed. In our opinion EM is the gold standard to validate adipogenic and osteo-chondrogenic differentiation protocols. Features of early subcellular mesengenic differentiation can be derived from the past knowledge that pathologists have accumulated studying poorly differentiated sarcomas.

Human beings suffer from a myriad of disorders caused by biochemical or biophysical alteration of physiological systems leading to organ failure. For a number of these conditions, stem cells and their enormous reparative potential may be the last hope for restoring function to these failing organ or tissue systems. To harness the potential of stem cells for biotherapeutic applications, we need to work at the size scale of molecules and processes that govern stem cells fate. Nanotechnology provides us with such capacity. Therefore, effective amalgamation of nanotechnology and stem cells - medical nanoscience or nanomedicine - offers immense benefits to the human race. The aim of this paper is to discuss the role and importance of nanotechnology in stem cell research by focusing on several important areas such as stem cell visualization and imaging, genetic modifications and reprogramming by gene delivery systems, creating stem cell niche, and similar therapeutic applications.

The term 'stem cell' most commonly refers to embryonic stem cells, particularly in the lay media; however, it also describes other cell types. A stem cell represents a cell of multi-lineage potential with the ability for self-renewal. It is now clear that the plasticity and immortality of a given stem cell will depend on what type of stem cell it is, whether an embryonic stem cell, a fetal-placental stem cell or an adult stem cell. Stem cells offer great promise as cell-based therapies for the future. With evolving technology, much of the socio-political debate regarding stem cells can now be avoided.