Stem Cells from Culture Dish to Clinic : Modern Trends and Future Prospects

Despite extensive research and medical advancements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dreaded diseases like Diabetes, Cancer, Neurodegenerative and Heart diseases, continue to impose a great threat to human life. Research in human developmental biology has led to the discovery of stem cells which has the potential to cure wide range of dreaded diseases. Stem cells are the unicellular equivalent to the entire animal. In optimum culture milieu they can be differentiated into all cell types of an adult animal. The capability of potency and the relative ease to isolate and expand these cells are invaluable properties for regenerative medicine. Stem cells hold tremendous promise to unravel the key developmental pathways involved in organogenesis and may serve as an essential tissue source for regenerative therapy.Stem cell biology is a fast growing field that is providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms that control developmental processes. At the same time, stem cells may have potential uses in the treatment of devastating diseases such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, musculoskeletal disease, diabetes and cancer. The enormous clinical potential of cardiac regeneration has generated great expectations in both clinicians and patients. Regenerative medicine in the field of skin, cartilage, bone, adipose tissue, and cornea is already well established and is used clinically. Stem cell research harbours potential to have a significant impact on human health.The book will help to increase the awareness vis-a-vis stem cell research in developing countries in particular India. The book pronounces the ways which may help us to extract maximum benefits from state of the art technology. The thrust areas of the proposed book are induced pluripotent stem cells, cord blood stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, livestock stem cells, amniotic fluid stem cells, role of epigenetics in stem cells, tissue engineering, cancer stem cells, bioinformatics strategies for stem cell research, Protocols for iPS generation and so on. These areas have been identified keeping in mind the current and future alighted issues that have a direct impact on the health sector of the world in general.