Tissue Stem Cells PDF

Preface

Tissue stem cells and their medical applications have become a major focus of research over the last 10 years. The ethical issues surrounding the therapeutic use of stem-cell transplantation, and in particular embryonic stem-cell transplantation, have also been the subject of much attention, particularly in the popular media. In this book, we have sought to provide a thorough and up-to-date summary of the current position of scientific knowledge with regard to stem cells from a range of adult tissues, including the skin, the intestine, and the liver. All the reviews are written by internationally regarded experts in the field. The different chapters focus on a variety of aspects of stem-cell research including the molecular biology of stem-cell regulation, experimental models of stem-cell function, and the clinical applications of stem-cell biology. They also seek to address controversial issues, such as the debate between stem-cell transdifferentiation and stem-cell fusion, and the mathematical modeling of stem cells in tissues. We hope Tissue Stem Cells will provide an essential reference for all those working in this field. We also hope that this book, with its broad outlook and high-quality authorship, will be of interest to all researchers and students and not just stem-cell biologists.