Stem cells are the building blocks of every multicellular organism. They are responsible for the replenishment of specialized progeny during development, homeostasis and injury, through a tightly-regulated balance between self-renewal and differentiation. Although much has been said about them, some truly basic criteria such as their identity, self-renewal capacity, and properties (self-renewal and multipotential differentiation) are still a matter of heated debate. Moreover, the vertiginous increase in the amount of literature in the area imposes a real challenge for the scientific community to stay on top of the current knowledge on this always evolving field.
We address this hurdle in this article collection with a series of review articles that will not only facilitate but also deepen our understanding of the basic characteristics and mechanisms employed by stem/progenitor cells to perform their function in tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Our main goal is to create a space for a broad debate on the current concepts in the stem cell field while also creating a small compendium for the younger minds that are starting to adventure into this fascinating field.
We would like to gather in this series a collection of reviews on the basic aspects of the stem cell characteristics and function with in-depth views that will comprise a compendium of the state-of-the-art knowledge in this field.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Defining stem cells and its properties (What's in a name: defining stem cells?)
- Stem cell Niche (Where stem cells live?)
- Why does the stem cell remain in the undifferentiated state?
- Why do stem cells become committed to differentiation?
- ABC of Adipogenesis
- ABC of Chondrogenesis
- ABC of Osteogenesis
- ABC of Neurogenesis
- Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC)
- Mesenchymal/Stromal Stem Cells (MSC)
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSC)
- Epithelial Stem Cells (EpiSC)
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
- Stem cell aging (The immortality dilemma: do stem cells age?)
- Cancer stem cells (When things go wrong: cancer stem cells)
- Stem cell-based cell therapy (The journey towards the bedside: stem cells and therapy)
Stem cells are the building blocks of every multicellular organism. They are responsible for the replenishment of specialized progeny during development, homeostasis and injury, through a tightly-regulated balance between self-renewal and differentiation. Although much has been said about them, some truly basic criteria such as their identity, self-renewal capacity, and properties (self-renewal and multipotential differentiation) are still a matter of heated debate. Moreover, the vertiginous increase in the amount of literature in the area imposes a real challenge for the scientific community to stay on top of the current knowledge on this always evolving field.
We address this hurdle in this article collection with a series of review articles that will not only facilitate but also deepen our understanding of the basic characteristics and mechanisms employed by stem/progenitor cells to perform their function in tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Our main goal is to create a space for a broad debate on the current concepts in the stem cell field while also creating a small compendium for the younger minds that are starting to adventure into this fascinating field.
We would like to gather in this series a collection of reviews on the basic aspects of the stem cell characteristics and function with in-depth views that will comprise a compendium of the state-of-the-art knowledge in this field.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Defining stem cells and its properties (What's in a name: defining stem cells?)
- Stem cell Niche (Where stem cells live?)
- Why does the stem cell remain in the undifferentiated state?
- Why do stem cells become committed to differentiation?
- ABC of Adipogenesis
- ABC of Chondrogenesis
- ABC of Osteogenesis
- ABC of Neurogenesis
- Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC)
- Mesenchymal/Stromal Stem Cells (MSC)
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSC)
- Epithelial Stem Cells (EpiSC)
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
- Stem cell aging (The immortality dilemma: do stem cells age?)
- Cancer stem cells (When things go wrong: cancer stem cells)
- Stem cell-based cell therapy (The journey towards the bedside: stem cells and therapy)
