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.

The field of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is rapidly evolving. Realization that hematopoietic stem cells give rise to the immune compartment has resulted in clinical trials of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients with autoimmune diseases. Allogeneic hematopoietic transplants are a form of adoptive immunotherapy resulting in beneficial graft versus tumor effects. Large numbers of hematopoietic cells can be collected with ease. Therefore, a renewable source of cells for ex vivo genetic manipulations is readily available. Multiple trials combining hematopoietic transplants and gene therapy are in progress. One such application is the infusion of allogeneic lymphocytes containing a suicide gene to abort graft versus host disease. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is in reality the clinical and practical application of cellular therapy. Hematopoietic transplant physicians are by design or by practical application evolving into cell and gene therapy specialists. The excitement and enthusiasm in hematopoietic transplantation is that it offers a door to the future. A future not of drugs or titrating poisonous chemotherapy but rather of cellular and gene therapy. 1 ALLOGENEIC PERIPHERAL BLOOD STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION FOR HEMATOLOGIC DISEASES Martin Korbling University o/Texas MD. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 INTRODUCTION Circulating hematopoietic stem cells have emerged as an alternative to bone marrow (BM) stem cells for allografting. For many years the reconstitutive potential of circulating stem cells was questioned; peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were even characterized a waste product (1).

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This textbook, endorsed by the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), provides adult and paediatric nurses with a full and informative guide covering all aspects of transplant nursing, from basic principles to advanced concepts. It takes the reader on a journey through the history of transplant nursing, including essential and progressive elements to help nurses improve their knowledge and benefit the patient experience, as well as a comprehensive introduction to research and auditing methods. This new volume specifically intended for nurses, complements the ESH-EBMT reference title, a popular educational resource originally developed in 2003 for physicians to accompany an annual training course also serving as an educational tool in its own right. This title is designed to develop the knowledge of nurses in transplantation. It is the first book of its kind specifically targeted at nurses in this specialist field and acknowledges the valuable contribution that nursing makes in this area. This volume presents information that is essential for the education of nurses new to transplantation, while also offering a valuable resource for more experienced nurses who wish to update their knowledge.

There have been tremendous strides in cellular transplantation in recent years, leading to accepted practice for the treatment of certain diseases, and use for many others in trial phases. The long history of cellular transplantation, or the transfer of cells from one organism or region of the body to another, has been revolutionized by advances in stem cell research, as well as developments in gene therapy. Cellular Transplants: From Lab to Clinic provides a thorough foundation of the basic science underpinning this exciting field, expert overviews of the state-of-the-art, and detailed description of clinical success stories to date, as well as insights into the road ahead. As highlighted by this timely and authoritative survey, scale-up technologies and whole organ transplantation are among the hurdles representing the next frontier. The contents are organized into four main sections, with the first covering basic biology, including transplant immunology, the use of immunosuppressive drugs, stem cell biology, and the development of donor animals for transplantation. The next part looks at peripheral and reconstructive applications, followed by a section devoted to transplantation for diseases of the central nervous system. The last part presents efforts to address the key challenges ahead, such as identifying novel transplantable cells and integrating biomaterials and nanotechnology with cell matrices. - Provides detailed description of clinical trials in cell transplantation - Review of current therapeutic approaches - Coverage of the broad range of diseases addressed by cell therapeutics - Discussion of stem cell biology and its role in transplantation

Advances in Stem Cell Research discusses recent advances in stem cell science, including therapeutic applications. This volume covers such topics as biomanufacturing iPS cells for therapeutic applications, techniques for controlling stem cell fate decisions, as well as current basic research in such areas as germ line stem cells, genomics and proteomics in stem cell research. It is a useful book for biology and clinical scientists, especially young investigators and stem cell biology students who are newly entering the world of stem cells research. The editors hope that the new knowledge and research outlined in this book will help contribute to new therapies for a wide variety of diseases that presently afflict humanity.

This issue of Progress in Brain Research is split over 2 volumes, bringing together cutting-edge research on functional neural transplantation. The 2 volumes review current knowledge and understanding, provide a starting point for researchers and practitioners entering the field, and build a platform for further research and discovery.

This volume will cover a series of reviews on stem cells including adult and embryonic stem cells. Speakers were invited to present these talks during the Stem Cell Symposia in fall of 2010, in Samsun, Turkey. Unique aspect of this volume is that it brings a multidisciplinary aspect of stem cells extracted from a symposium.