Springer Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells, Volume 5: Therapeutic Applications in Disease and Injury

It is pointed out that a cancer stem cell is a type within a tumor that possesses the capacity of self-renewal and can give rise to the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells, which comprise the tumor. It is emphasized that a unique feature of cancer stem cells is that, although conventional chemotherapy kills most cells in a tumor, cancer stem cells remain intact. Vast applications of the following specific stem cells in disease and tissue injury are discussed:  embryonic stem cells, human mesenchymal stem cells, cancer stem cells, arterial stem cells, neural stem cells, cardiac stem cells, dental stem cells, limbal stem cells, and hematopoietic stem cells.  Because human embryonic  stem cells possess the potential to produce unlimited quantities of any human cell type, considerable focus is placed on their therapeutic potential in this volume.  These cells are used in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, pharmacological and  toxicological studies, and fundamental studies of cell differentiation. It is pointed out that the formation of embryoid bodies, which are three-dimensional aggregates of embryonic cells, is the initial step in the differentiation of these cells. Therapeutic implications of signalling pathways in cancer stem cells are pointed out.  Targeting self-renewal pathways in cancer stem cells are also included. Application of mesenchymal stem cells for treating ischemic brain injury is explained.  Neural stem cells proliferation into the surrounding area of the traumatic brain injury is explained.   From the Back Cover The fifth volume in the essential series on stem cell biology provides a detailed explanation of the mechanisms of self-renewing cancer stem cells, as well as their ability to generate the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise tumors. It explores the unique resistance of cancer stem cells to conventional chemotherapy techniques able to kill a tumor’s constituent cells. The contents also include a discussion of the myriad applications of a selection of stem cells in treating disease and tissue injury. The cells singled out include human mesenchymal, arterial, neural, cardiac, dental, limbal, and hematopoietic stem cells. The therapeutic utility of uniquely adaptable human embryonic stem cells, able to generate any human cell type, is explored in depth. The volume looks at their uses in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as pharmacological, toxicological, and cell differentiation research. It also sheds light on the processes by which embryonic stem cells begin to differentiate by aggregating into more complex embryoid bodies. With additional material on targeting self-renewal pathways in cancer stem cells, the use of mesenchymal stem cells in treating ischemic brain injury, and the phenomenon of neural stem cell proliferation around traumatic brain injuries, this richly diverse and hugely informative book is a powerful tool for deepening professional expertise among researchers and practitioners in this field.