Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering 25 (2015) S1–S2 DOI 10.3233/BME-141224 IOS Press
S1
Foreword
The 5th China–France International Symposium 2013 Most human tissues do not regenerate spontaneously, which is why “cell therapy and tissue engineering” are promising alternative treatments. Among possible medium-term therapeutic applications are, cardiac insufficiency, preparation of small diameter arteries, treatment of atherosclerosis, cartilage defects, bone repair, burns, diabetes, liver or bladder regeneration, and neurodegenerative disorders. This concept of regenerative medicine is an emerging multidisciplinary field involving surgery medicine, biology, chemistry, mechanics and engineering which can be defined as “the way to improve the health and quality of life by restoring, maintaining, or enhancing tissue and organ functions”. Since the 1960s and the therapeutic use of hematopoietic stem cells of bone marrow origin, there has been increasing interest in the study of undifferentiated progenitors that have ability to proliferate and differentiate in different tissues. Although initially, it may seem best to choose an autologous cell, these cells are generally not easily available, they are frequently in a pathological state and expansion cannot be extended to all tissues and organs. This explains the growing interest in stem cells that are produced during the development of the embryo, then of the foetus and finally in adult tissues and organs. Different stem cells (SC) with different potential can be isolated and characterised (totipotent, mesenchymal of different origins, especially those present in tissues. . . ). It is undeniable that cells like bone marrow, adipose tissue or Wharton Jelly stem cells, which have limited potential, are of potential interest for applications because they are easily separated and prepared and no ethical problems are involved in their use. Despite the acknowledged promise of embryonic stem cells, in many cases, adult stem cells provide a more interesting approach to clinical applications. In other respects, some lineages of adult stem cells are capable of greater plasticity than is assumed based on their tissue origin. Nowadays, mesenchymal stem cells, which were originally described in bone marrow, represent an enormous potential value for regenerative medicine. During the last 10 years, these multipotent cells have generated considerable interest, and mesenchymal stem cells in particular have been shown to escape allogeneic immune response and be capable of immunomodulatory activity. These properties may be of a great interest in regenerative medicine in the future, but today it is probably better to consider mesenchymal stem cells as a mixed population of progenitors rather than as homogeneous stem cells. Recently, cells isolated from amniotic fluid also appeared to be of potential interest in regenerative medicine. These cells express some markers also expressed by embryonic stem cells and appear to be similar to stem cells isolated from Wharton Jelly. The full potential of these stem cells is not yet known and it is possible that all the types of cell needed for regenerative medicine could be obtained from umbilical cord, placenta and amniotic fluid. 0959-2989/15/$27.50 © 2015 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved
S2
Foreword
The regeneration of tissue is and will remain a challenge for the future development of cell therapy and tissue engineering. Many problems remain to be solved and scientific and technical knowledge is lacking that could lead to the development of innovative strategies to facilitate cell differentiation, increase the yield of cells and ensure a standardised product, overcome the risks of teratogenic effects and/or immune reactions, enable grafting via direct cell or biotissue transplantation and avoid legal issues involved in national regulations. This special issue is devoted to a collection of selected papers which has been presented during The 5th China–France International Symposium in Kunming (December 12–14, 2013) on “Stem Cells: From Bench to Bed Side”. The guest editors would like to thank all participants and authors for their cooperation. Jean François Stoltz Lei Zhang Guest Editors June, 2014
Copyright of Bio-Medical Materials & Engineering is the property of IOS Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
S1
Foreword
The 5th China–France International Symposium 2013 Most human tissues do not regenerate spontaneously, which is why “cell therapy and tissue engineering” are promising alternative treatments. Among possible medium-term therapeutic applications are, cardiac insufficiency, preparation of small diameter arteries, treatment of atherosclerosis, cartilage defects, bone repair, burns, diabetes, liver or bladder regeneration, and neurodegenerative disorders. This concept of regenerative medicine is an emerging multidisciplinary field involving surgery medicine, biology, chemistry, mechanics and engineering which can be defined as “the way to improve the health and quality of life by restoring, maintaining, or enhancing tissue and organ functions”. Since the 1960s and the therapeutic use of hematopoietic stem cells of bone marrow origin, there has been increasing interest in the study of undifferentiated progenitors that have ability to proliferate and differentiate in different tissues. Although initially, it may seem best to choose an autologous cell, these cells are generally not easily available, they are frequently in a pathological state and expansion cannot be extended to all tissues and organs. This explains the growing interest in stem cells that are produced during the development of the embryo, then of the foetus and finally in adult tissues and organs. Different stem cells (SC) with different potential can be isolated and characterised (totipotent, mesenchymal of different origins, especially those present in tissues. . . ). It is undeniable that cells like bone marrow, adipose tissue or Wharton Jelly stem cells, which have limited potential, are of potential interest for applications because they are easily separated and prepared and no ethical problems are involved in their use. Despite the acknowledged promise of embryonic stem cells, in many cases, adult stem cells provide a more interesting approach to clinical applications. In other respects, some lineages of adult stem cells are capable of greater plasticity than is assumed based on their tissue origin. Nowadays, mesenchymal stem cells, which were originally described in bone marrow, represent an enormous potential value for regenerative medicine. During the last 10 years, these multipotent cells have generated considerable interest, and mesenchymal stem cells in particular have been shown to escape allogeneic immune response and be capable of immunomodulatory activity. These properties may be of a great interest in regenerative medicine in the future, but today it is probably better to consider mesenchymal stem cells as a mixed population of progenitors rather than as homogeneous stem cells. Recently, cells isolated from amniotic fluid also appeared to be of potential interest in regenerative medicine. These cells express some markers also expressed by embryonic stem cells and appear to be similar to stem cells isolated from Wharton Jelly. The full potential of these stem cells is not yet known and it is possible that all the types of cell needed for regenerative medicine could be obtained from umbilical cord, placenta and amniotic fluid. 0959-2989/15/$27.50 © 2015 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved
S2
Foreword
The regeneration of tissue is and will remain a challenge for the future development of cell therapy and tissue engineering. Many problems remain to be solved and scientific and technical knowledge is lacking that could lead to the development of innovative strategies to facilitate cell differentiation, increase the yield of cells and ensure a standardised product, overcome the risks of teratogenic effects and/or immune reactions, enable grafting via direct cell or biotissue transplantation and avoid legal issues involved in national regulations. This special issue is devoted to a collection of selected papers which has been presented during The 5th China–France International Symposium in Kunming (December 12–14, 2013) on “Stem Cells: From Bench to Bed Side”. The guest editors would like to thank all participants and authors for their cooperation. Jean François Stoltz Lei Zhang Guest Editors June, 2014
Copyright of Bio-Medical Materials & Engineering is the property of IOS Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
