Organ transplantation has been the most important therapeutic advance in the last third of the 20th century. Its development has revolutionized medicine, as demonstrated by the fact that a large number of researchers in this field have been awarded Nobel Prizes. In the beginning of this century, we are witnessing with great expectations the emergence of a new field of medicine related to the arrival of a new player on the scene: stem cells and their potential use in regenerative medicine. This volume aims to cover important aspects of the various facets of organ transplantation and regenerative medicine, with leading specialists in these fields setting out their vision. We try to rigorously explain current and novel scientific research in these fieldsareas which arouse great interest from society in general, due to their potential use in modern medicine for the treatment of a great number of diseases.
What organ transplantation was to the medicine of the 20th century, stem cell transplantation will be to that of the immediate future. With recent clinical results and contributions from leading specialists, this book covers current and future developments.
The Frontiers of Organ Transplantation and Cell Therapy.- Organ Transplantation in the 21st Century.- Immunology and the Challenge of Transplantation.- Cellular Immunotolerance in the Transplant.- Immunosuppression in the Era of Biological Agents.- Transgenic Organs and Xenotransplants.- Cell and Tissue Therapy in Regenerative Medicine.- Characteristics of Adult Stem Cells.- Bone Marrow Transplantation Extends its Scope.- Biology of Stem Cells: The Role of Microenvironments.- Mobilization and Homing of Hematopoietic Stem Cells.- Great Promise of TissueResident Adult Stem/Progenitor Cells in Transplantation and Cancer Therapies.- Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Clinical Applicat Ions and Cancer Modeling.- Neural Stem Cells and Transplantation Studies in Parkl¹