Springer Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells, Volume 4: Therapeutic Applications in Disease and Injury

Vast therapeutic applications of the following specific stem cells in disease and tissue injury are discussed: embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, human hair follicle stem cells, bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells, periodontal/progenitor cells, cancer stem cells, and breast cancer stem cells. Because human embryonic stem cells possess the potential to produce unlimited quantities of any human cell type, considerable focus is placed on this type of stem cells in this volume. The role of cancer stem cells, specifically in breast cancer is explained. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells to aid the injured brain is included. Immune recovery after stem cells transplantation in severe combined immunodeficiency patients is described. The role of mesenchymal stem cells in enhancing the growth and metastasis of colon cancer is discussed. Clinical application of human follicle stem cells is presented. Treatment of malignant gliomas using genetically-modified neural stem cells as a marker is discussed. The impact of cancer stem cell hypothesis on designing new cancer therapies is explained. In the field of regenerative medicine, the use of stem cells in the repair of the central nervous system, tendon injury, and as a cardiac regenerative medicine is described. The role of DNA methylation in maintaining stemness induced pluripotent stem cells from human extraembryonic amnion cells is discussed. Insights on the understanding of molecular pathways involved in tumor biology are explained, which lead to the development of effective drugs. Information on pathways, such as hedgehog, facilitates targeted therapies in cancer. From the Back Cover It is difficult to overstate the potential applications of stem-cell biology to our understanding of, and responses to, disease and injury. This volume aims to bring to its readers authoritative and responsive coverage of aspects of the field that will keep them up-to-date in a fast-moving scientific landscape. The fourth volume in the series on stem cells and their cancer-carrying counterparts, this book sets out the plethora of therapeutic applications offered by a group of specific stem cells in tackling disease and tissue injury. The list of subjects includes embryonic, induced pluripotent, human hair follicle, bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal, adipose-derived, cancer, and breast cancer stem cells, in addition to periodontal/progenitor cells. The adaptability of human embryonic stem cells, which have the potential to develop into any cell type, ensures them an especially detailed treatment.   Contributions explore the causal influence of cancer stem cells in malignancies such as cancer and breast cancer, and delineate the way mesenchymal stem cells contribute to the growth and metastasis of colon cancer. Shifting from disease to treatment, the text explains the therapeutic value of transplanting mesenchymal stem cells to the injured brain as an aid to its recovery. It includes material, too, on the exciting prospect of valuable new targeted cancer drugs borne of our increasing understanding of the molecular pathways peculiar to tumor biology. Key topics, such as the benefit of stem cell transplantation to immune system recovery among severe combined immunodeficiency patients, and the treatment of malignant gliomas using genetically modified neural stem cells as markers, provide a window on cutting-edge work in these specialized subjects. The extensive scope and detailed analysis of this volume, and of the series to which it belongs, mean that whether readers want a breakdown of the impact being made by cancer stem cell research on the design of next-generation cancer therapies, or details of the way stem cells could transform regenerative medicine by repairing damage to vital organs and tissues, they will find these―and much more―here.