Stem Cell Transplantation (advances In Experimental Medicine And Biology, Vol. 741)

Organ transplantation has been the most important therapeutic advance in the last third of the 20th century. Its development has revolutionized medicine, as demonstrated by the fact that a large number of researchers in this field have been awarded Nobel Prizes. In the beginning of this century, we are witnessing with great expectations the emergence of a new field of medicine related to the arrival of a new player on the scene: “stem cells” and their potential use in regenerative medicine. This volume aims to cover important aspects of the various facets of organ transplantation and regenerative medicine, with leading specialists in these fields setting out their vision. We try to rigorously explain current and novel scientific research in these fields—areas which arouse great interest from society in general, due to their potential use in modern medicine for the treatment of a great number of diseases. Front Matter....Pages i-xxv The Frontiers of Organ Transplantation and Cell Therapy....Pages 1-12 Organ Transplantation in the 21th Century....Pages 13-26 Imunology and the Challenge of Transplantation....Pages 27-43 Cellular Immunotolerance in the Transplant....Pages 44-59 Immunosuppression in the ERA of Biological Agents....Pages 60-72 Transgenic Organs and Xenotransplants....Pages 73-88 Cell and Tissue Therapy in Regenerative Medicine....Pages 89-102 Characteristics of Adult Stem Cells....Pages 103-120 Bone Marrow Transplantation Extends Its Scope....Pages 121-134 Biology of Stem Cells: The Role of Microenvironments....Pages 135-151 Mobilization and Homing of Hematopoietic Stem Cells....Pages 152-170 Great Promise of Tissue-Resident Adult Stem/Progenitor Cells in Transplantation and Cancer Therapies....Pages 171-186 Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Clinical Applications and Cancer Modeling....Pages 187-205 Neural Stem Cells and Transplantation Studies in Parkinson’s Disease....Pages 206-216 Biological Impact of Human Embryonic Stem Cells....Pages 217-230 Epigenetics of Embryonic Stem Cells....Pages 231-253 New Tools in Regenerative Medicine: Gene Therapy....Pages 254-275 Therapeutic Cloning and Cellular Reprogramming....Pages 276-289 Advances in Stem Cell Therapy....Pages 290-313 Tissue Bioengineering and Artificial Organs....Pages 314-336 Back Matter....Pages 337-342 Organ transplantation has been the most important therapeutic advance in the last third of the 20th century. Its development has revolutionized medicine, as demonstrated by the fact that a large number of researchers in this field have been awarded Nobel Prizes. In the beginning of this century, we are witnessing with great expectations the emergence of a new field of medicine related to the arrival of a new player on the scene: stem cells and their potential use in regenerative medicine. This volume aims to cover important aspects of the various facets of organ transplantation and regenerative medicine, with leading specialists in these fields setting out their vision. We try to rigorously explain current and novel scientific research in these fieldsâ"areas which arouse great interest from society in general, due to their potential use in modern medicine for the treatment of a great number of diseases