Cell and tissue transplantation is one of the most exciting and rapidly expanding areas in medicine. This first edition of the Yearbook of Cell and Tissue Transplantation summarizes the latest advances in this revolutionary field, including developments in tissue engineering and transplantation of hybrid organs and tissues, while reviewing those data which, while not new, add to the usefulness of this work as a comprehensive reference. The justification for yearbooks is greater than ever as we approach the third millennium, overwhelmed with information. In view of the important and rapid changes occurring in this area, a new edition of this yearbook will appear periodically. The editors' careers at Harvard Medical School guarantee the quality of this book. The authors, too, are uniformly drawn from the highest rank of an unusually dedicated and heterogeneous professional group. from the Foreword by Thomas E. Starzl, Honorary President, The Cell Transplant Society: `No major topic in the global field is left uncovered ... the result will be a feast for those already well informed, and a life raft for those who are not.'

Hydrogels represent one of the cornerstones in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, due to their biocompatibility and physiologically relevant properties. These inherent characteristics mean that they can be widely exploited as bioinks in 3D bioprinting for tissue engineering applications as well as injectable gels for cell therapy and drug delivery purposes. The research in these fields is booming and this book provides the reader with a terrific introduction to the burgeoning field of injectable hydrogel design, bioprinting and tissue engineering. Edited by three leaders in the field, users of this book will learn about different classes of hydrogels, properties and synthesis strategies to produce bioinks. A section devoted to the key processing and design challenges at the hydrogel/3D bioprinting/tissue interface is also covered. The final section of the book closes with pertinent clinical applications. Tightly edited, the reader will find this book to be a coherent resource to learn from. It will appeal to those working across biomaterials science, chemical and biomedical engineering, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most diagnosed childhood cancer worldwide. Although rare in adults, this aggressive cancer also shows a second smaller incidence peak in later middle age.

Modern genetic profiling techniques are providing a better understanding of the molecular biology of ALL, which, in turn, is leading to significant advances in diagnosis, prognostication and therapy selection. Ongoing refinement of risk-adapted frontline treatment protocols, use of novel targeted therapies and better supportive care are improving outcomes for patients with ALL.

Fast Facts: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia covers the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis and classification of ALL as well as the measurement of minimal residual disease to determine prognosis. It provides guidance on frontline therapies and the treatment of relapsed and refractory ALL, including the use of newer targeted agents and the role of allogeneic stem-cell transplantation. Looking to the future, it also considers the approaches and refinements that are in development for ALL. Table of Contents:

Epidemiology, pathophysiology and etiology

Diagnosis

Prognostic factors

Treatment

Relapsed or refractory ALL

Future directions

The aim of this Special Issue is to review, understand, and evaluate new and exciting opportunities from the field on regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and stem cell research for the bioengineering of human liver grafts that can be applied for transplantation and personalized treatment of end-stage liver disease.The development of culture conditions for long-term expansion of LGR5+ intestinal stem cells as crypt-villus structures demonstrated the feasibility of deriving complex, organ-like structures in vitro from primary adult tissues, including the liver. Moreover, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can be applied to generate functionally maturated liver and bile duct epithelial cells.In this Special Issue, we welcome reviews and original papers focussing on hepatic cell sources, including adult hepatic stem cells, organoids, fetal and induced pluripotent stem cells, and primary cells (i.e., hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and endothelial cells) and how these cells can be applied in tissue engineering strategies to generate implantable and personalized liver grafts. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following: liver tissue engineering, liver regeneration, graft repair, liver stem cells and organoids, bio-scaffolds, and 3D printing.We invite you to contribute original research papers, as well as comprehensive reviews, aligned with these themes, to advance and improve the actual state-of-the-art in liver bioengineering and providing new opportunities for the imminent medical problem of organ and tissue shortage for transplantation.

The concept of using encapsulation for the immunoprotection of transplanted cells was introduced for the first time in the 1960s. "[Microencapsulated cells] might be protected from destruction and from partici pation in immunological processes, while the enclosing membrane would be permeable to small molecules of specific cellular product which could then enter the general extracellular compartment of the recipient. For instance, encapsulated endocrine cells might survive and maintain an effective supply of hormone." (Chang, Ph. D. Thesis, McGill University, 1965; Chang et aI., Can J Physiol PharmacoI44:115-128, 1966). We asked Connaught Laboratories, Ltd., in Toronto to put this concept into practice. In 1980, Lim and Sun from Connaught Laboratories reported on the successful implantation of poly-I-Iysine-alginate encapsu lated rat islets into a foreign host. [Lim and Sun, Science 210:908-909, 1980]. Now many groups around the world are making tremendous progress in the encapsulation of a multitude of cell types. Kiihtreiber, Lanza, and Chick have invited many cell encapsulation groups from around the world to contribute to this book. The result is a very useful reference book in this rapidly growing area. With so many excellent au thors describing in detail the different areas of cell encapsulation, my role here will be to briefly discuss a few points.

As our world continues to evolve, the field of regenerative medicine f- lows suit. Although many modern day therapies focus on synthetic and na- ral medicinal treatments for brain repair, many of these treatments and prescriptions lack adequate results or only have the ability to slow the p- gression of neurological disease or injury. Cell therapy, however, remains the most compelling treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, disorders, and injuries, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke, which is expanded upon in more detail in Chapter 1 by Snyder and colleagues. Cell therapy is also unique in that it is the only therapeutic strategy that strives to replace lost, damaged, or dysfunctional cells with healthy ones. This repair and replacement may be due to an administration of exogenous cells itself or the activation of the body’s own endogenous reparative cells by a trophic, immune, or inflammatory response to cell transplantation. However, the precise mechanism of how cell therapy works remains elusive and is c- tinuing to be investigated in terms of molecular and cellular responses, in particular. Moreover, Chapter 11 by Emerich and associates, discusses some of the possibilities of cell immunoisolation and the potential for treating central nervous system diseases.

New discoveries in the field of stem cell research have frequently appeared in the news and in scientific literature. Research in this area promises to lead to new therapies for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a wide variety of other diseases. This two-volume reference integrates this exciting area of biology, combining the prerequisites for a general understanding of adult and embryonic stem cells, the tools, methods, and experimental protocols needed to study and characterize stem cells and progenitor populations, as well as a presentation by the world's experts of what is currently known about each specific organ system. The editors of the Handbook of Stem Cells include: Robert Lanza, Helen Blau, John Gearhart, Brigid Hogan, Douglas Melton, Malcolm Moore, Roger Pedersen, E. Donnall Thomas, James Thomson, Catherine Verfaillie, Irving Weissman, and Michael West. The Editorial Board includes: W. French Anderson, Peter Andrews, Anthony Atala, Jose Cibelli, Giulio Cossu, Robert Edwards, Martin Evans, Elaine Fuchs, Margaret Fuller, Fred Gage, Richard Gardner, Margaret Goodell, Ronald Green, William Haseltine, Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor, Rudolf Jaenisch, Ihor Lemischka, Dame Anne McLaren, Richard Mulligan, Stuart Orkin, Martin Pera, Benjamin Reubinoff, Janet Rossant, Hans Scholer, Austin Smith, Evan Snyder, Davor Solter, Alan Trounson, and Leonard Zon.This comprehensive set should be a much-needed addition to the library of students and researchers alike.* Provides comprehensive coverage on this highly topical subject* Contains contributions by the foremost authorities and premiere names in the field of stem cell research* The accompanying CD-ROM includes over 250 color figures