Main description:

Volume 11 in this series discusses therapeutic applications of stem cells in disease and tissue injury. Coverage includes pluripotent stem cells, which can give rise to the endodermal, ectodermal, and mesodermal lineages; multipotent stem cells, which can generate all cells in a particular lineage and unipotent stem cells, which can give rise to only one cell type. This volume also examines cancer stem cells, tumor-initiating cells which possesses the capacity of self-renewal and can give rise to the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumor. Coverage extends to molecular mechanisms underlying the derivation and expansion of human embryonic stem cells, the role of specific proteins in the maintenance and inhibition of extraembryonic differentiation of these cells and the role of signaling responsible for the self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells. Nine chapters discuss the clinical importance of cancer stem cells, encompassing glioma, leukemia, ovarian cancer, pediatric sarcomas and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The role of cancer stem cells is also elucidated in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in spreading head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The book goes on to survey therapeutic application of stem cells of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic origin for regeneration of bones, including in osteoporotic bone disease; to illuminate the application of hematopoietic stem cells in bone regeneration and to discuss their use as a biomarker to facilitate determination of a treatment. The contributors review cells as biomarkers for pediatric solid tumors, and weigh the advantages and limitations of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Also included are details of neural stem cell engraftment in the injured spinal cord; the regenerative potential of neural stem/progenitor cells of newborns and cancer gene therapy potential using neural stem cells. Like the preceding volumes in the series, this book is distinguished for its comprehensive approach, its distinguished roster of 58 contributors representing 10 different countries and its thorough review of leading-edge technology and methods.

Contents:

Preface. I. Embryonic stem cells.- Maintenance of human embryonic stem cell identity and Inhibition of extraembryonic differentiation: Role of cnot1, cnot2 and cnot3.-Investigating the role of the embryonic stem cell self-renewal gene nanog in neoplastic processes.- Derivation and expansion of human embryonic stem cells under xeno-free, defined conditions.- Self-renewal of naive state mouse embryonic stem cells: Role of lacdinac in lif/stat3 signaling.- Cancer gene therapy potential of neural stem cells derived from human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. II. Cancer stem cells.- The role of cancer stem(-like) cells and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in spreading head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.- Glioma propagating cells show enhanced chemoresistance and radioresistance (an update).- Chemical genomic approaches to eradicate leukemia stem cells.- Isolation of cancer stem cells showing drug resistance in the human epithelia ovarian cancer.- Cancer stem cells in pediatric sarcomas.- Cancer stem cells derived from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells.- Stemness regulation of somatic cancer cells.- Induced differentiation of brain tumour stem cells.- Role of microenvironment in regulating stem cell and tumor initiating cancer cell behavior and its potential therapeutic implications.- Identification of ovarian cancer stem cells: molecular pathways. III. Hematopoietic stem cells.- Hematopoietic stem cells and bone regeneration.- Children with solid tumors: identification of ematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells as biomarkers.- Pediatric neuroblastoma: combined treatment with monoclonal antibody and cytokines preceded by matopoietic stem cell transplantation.- Autologous and allogeneic hematopoieitic cell transplantation: risk of second malignancies. IV. Neural stem cells.- Treatment of injured spinal cord: engraftment of neural stem cells.- Spinal cord injury ngineering using neural stem cells.- Endogenous regenerative potential of neural stem/progenitor cells of the newborn brain (an overview).Index.