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Focus on stem cells

Collection published: 7 June 2011

Last updated: 29 October 2012

The explosion of interest in stem cells, over the past decade or so, in both basic and translational research has encouraged three of BioMed Central's flagship journals, BMC Biology, BMC Medicine and Genome Medicine, to come together to present a series of specially commissioned comment and review articles on stem cell biology and medicine.

In this thematic series we aim to highlight some of the most important and topical issues - including recent advances, controversies and challenges in stem cell research, and of course their clinical implications. To supplement the comment and review, relevant original research articles will be added to the series as they are published.

Stem cell genomics: new thematic series
Genome Medicine 2011, 3:34

An editorial by Guest Editor Stuart Orkin introduces this new series of articles, highlighting progress in genomic-scale studies of stem cells and cellular reprogramming that could impact medicine.

Mapping forest biomes Stem cell therapy clinical trials
BMC Medicine 2011, 9:52

Trounson and colleagues review recent developments and future prospects of clinical trials for stem cell therapies, highlighting usage of mesenchymal and neural stem cells, and reporting on the start of trials involving lines derived from pluripotent cells.

Forest restoration reviewed Focus on stem cell individuality
BMC Biology 2011, 9:40

Arthur Lander reflects on how current assumptions that stem cells divide asymmetrically and are programmed to produce the right differentiated cell types at the right times may fail to acknowledge a fundamental contribution of stem cell individuality.

		Commentary Chromatin roadblocks to reprogramming 50 years on Peter J Skene, Steven Henikoff BMC Biology 2012, 10:83 (29 October 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary This year, John Gurdon, with Shinya Yamanaka, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery that nuclei from adult cells can be reprogrammed to an undifferentiated state. In a commentary on a paper in Epigenetics & Chromatin from John Gurdon and colleagues, Skene and Henikoff explain how the variant histone H3.3 links the findings of the two prizewinners.
		Research Digital transcriptome profiling of normal and glioblastoma-derived neural stem cells identifies genes associated with patient survival Pär G Engström, Diva Tommei, Stefan H Stricker, Christine Ender, Steven M Pollard, Paul Bertone Genome Medicine 2012, 4:76 (9 October 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary High-throughput sequencing of transcript tags revealed a gene expression signature that correlates with tumor stage and patient survival in a glioblastoma-derived neural stem cell model.
		Research article Human amniotic fluid stem cell injection therapy for urethral sphincter regeneration in an animal model Bum Kim, So Chun, Jong Lee, Hyun Lim, Jae-sung Bae, Ho-Yun Chung, Anthony Atala, Shay Soker, James J Yoo, Tae Kwon BMC Medicine 2012, 10:94 (21 August 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Human amniotic fluid stem cells can differentiate into muscle cells and restore urethral sphincter function in a mouse model of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), suggesting that they could be a new non-invasive therapeutic option for SUI.
		Review Challenges to the clinical application of pluripotent stem cells: towards genomic and functional stability Xuemei Fu, Yang Xu Genome Medicine 2012, 4:55 (28 June 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Yang Xu and Xuemei Fu review recent challenges for the clinical application of ESCs and iPSCs, including epigenetic and genetic abnormalities, a risk of teratomas, and immunogenicity.
		Forum What does the concept of the stem cell niche really mean today? Arthur D Lander, Judith Kimble, Hans Clevers, Elaine Fuchs, Didier Montarras, Margaret Buckingham, Anne L Calof, Andreas Trumpp, Thordur Oskarsson BMC Biology 2012, 10:19 (9 March 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary How do current researchers view the stem cell niche? Eight experts from different fields provide their perspective, and ask how stem cells evolve in such an environment, launching a new Forum article type within the cross-journal collection on stem cells.
		Research article Reversal of type 1 diabetes via islet β cell regeneration following immune modulation by cord blood-derived multipotent stem cells Yong Zhao, Zhaoshun Jiang, Tingbao Zhao, Mingliang Ye, Chengjin Hu, Zhaohui Yin, Heng Li, Ye Zhang, Yalin Diao, Yunxiang Li, Yingjian Chen, Xiaoming Sun, Mary Fisk, Randal Skidgel, Mark Holterman, Bellur Prabhakar, Theodore Mazzone BMC Medicine 2012, 10:3 (10 January 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary The safe reversal of Type 1 diabetes is possible with Stem Cell Educator therapy which uses stem cells from cord blood to re-educate a diabetic's own T cells, restarts pancreatic function, and reduces the need for insulin.
		Minireview Clinical application of stem cell therapy in Parkinson's disease Marios Politis, Olle Lindvall BMC Medicine 2012, 10:1 (4 January 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Politis and Lindvall review the evidence from clinical trials of human foetal ventral mesencephalic transplantation to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and review the current status of stem cell therapy, both of which aim to provide long-lasting relief of patients' symptoms.
		Review Hematopoietic stem cells, hematopoiesis and disease: lessons from the zebrafish model Corey S Martin, Akemi Moriyama, Leonard I Zon Genome Medicine 2011, 3:83 (29 December 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Martin, Moriyama and Zon review the advantages of zebrafish for studying early development of blood cells and highlight recent discoveries using this model that show clinical promise.
		Review Transcriptomic analysis of pluripotent stem cells: insights into health and disease Jia-Chi Yeo, Huck-Hui Ng Genome Medicine 2011, 3:68 (27 October 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Jia-Chi Yeo and Huck-Hui Ng review recent progress in understanding the transcriptional networks of pluripotent stem cells, and discuss how this knowledge has impacted translational medicine.
		Review Stem cell approaches for diabetes: towards beta cell replacement Gordon C Weir, Claudia Cavelti-Weder, Susan Bonner-Weir Genome Medicine 2011, 3:61 (27 September 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Gordon Weir at al. review advances in understanding diabetes at the genomic level, and discuss how stem-cell-based approaches might be used for replacing beta cells and for treating the various forms of diabetes.
		Review Capturing Alzheimer's disease genomes with induced pluripotent stem cells: prospects and challenges Mason A Israel, Lawrence SB Goldstein Genome Medicine 2011, 3:49 (27 July 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Mason Israel and Lawrence Goldstein review the prospects and challenges for studying Alzheimer's disease genes and modeling pathogenesis using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
		Musings Public perception of stem cell and genomics research M William Lensch Genome Medicine 2011, 3:44 (6 July 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary William Lensch muses on factors influencing the public perception of translational stem cell and genomics research, for which public and patient engagement is increasingly important.
		Review Stem cell biology and drug discovery Lee L Rubin, Kelly M Haston BMC Biology 2011, 9:42 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Lee Rubin and Kelly Haston survey recent research on the contribution of pluripotent cells to modeling disease with the aim of improving the efficiency of drug discovery and prediction of unexpected drug toxicities.
		Opinion Stochastic dynamics and the evolution of mutations in stem cells David Dingli, Jorge M Pacheco BMC Biology 2011, 9:41 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Stem cell populations are small and therefore clonal expansion of mutant cells is susceptible to stochastic effects. Dingli and Pacheco propose that such effects may result in the unfavorable acquisition of mutations causing potentially lethal disease and occasionally, stochastic extinction could explain the disappearance of mutant clones.
		Comment The individuality of stem cells Arthur D Lander BMC Biology 2011, 9:40 (7 June 2011) Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Arthur Lander reflects on how current assumptions that stem cells divide asymmetrically and are programmed to produce the right differentiated cell types at the right times may fail to acknowledge a fundamental contribution of stem cell individuality.
		Review Epigenomics of human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells: insights into pluripotency and implications for disease Alvaro Rada-Iglesias, Joanna Wysocka Genome Medicine 2011, 3:36 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Wysocka and Rada-Iglesias review advances in epigenomic profiling of human pluripotent stem cells, highlighting the roles of regulatory elements and the implications for disease.
		Musings Genomic and stem cell policy issues: more alike than different? Mary A Majumder Genome Medicine 2011, 3:35 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Mary Majumder muses on the convergence of stem cell and genomics policy discussions, highlighting common areas of concern such as communication, consent, commercialization and clinical integration.
		Editorial Genome Medicine: stem cells, genomics and translational research Stuart H Orkin Genome Medicine 2011, 3:34 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary An editorial by Guest Editor Stuart Orkin introduces this new series of articles, highlighting progress in genomic-scale studies of stem cells and cellular reprogramming that could impact medicine.
		Research article Differential properties of human ACL and MCL stem cells may be responsible for their differential healing capacity Jianying Zhang, Tiffany Pan, Hee-Jeong Im, Freddie H Fu, James HC Wang BMC Medicine 2011, 9:68 (2 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Two knee ligaments often injured in athletes are known to have different healing capabilities and these are now shown to possess different stem cell populations with varying regeneration capacity – shedding light on the potential mechanism for the disparity.
		Review Clinical trials for stem cell therapies Alan Trounson, Rahul G Thakar, Geoff Lomax, Don Gibbons BMC Medicine 2011, 9:52 (10 May 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Trounson and colleagues review recent developments and future prospects of clinical trials for stem cell therapies, highlighting usage of mesenchymal and neural stem cells, and reporting on the start of trials involving lines derived from pluripotent cells.
		Commentary Novel approaches for immune reconstitution and adaptive immune modeling with human pluripotent stem cells Michael D Green, Hans-Willem Snoeck BMC Medicine 2011, 9:51 (10 May 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Green and Snoeck comment on the prospect of deriving immune cells from pluripotent stem cells, and their potential application in animal models, tissue transplantation, and modulation of autoimmune and infectious diseases.
		Commentary Optimizing functional imaging protocols for assessing the outcome of fetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease Marios Politis BMC Medicine 2011, 9:50 (10 May 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Politis comments on how an optimized functional imaging protocol based on recent developments in the field may aid new clinical trials in assessing the safety and efficacy of fetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease (PD).

		Commentary Chromatin roadblocks to reprogramming 50 years on Peter J Skene, Steven Henikoff BMC Biology 2012, 10:83 (29 October 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary This year, John Gurdon, with Shinya Yamanaka, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery that nuclei from adult cells can be reprogrammed to an undifferentiated state. In a commentary on a paper in Epigenetics & Chromatin from John Gurdon and colleagues, Skene and Henikoff explain how the variant histone H3.3 links the findings of the two prizewinners.
		Research Digital transcriptome profiling of normal and glioblastoma-derived neural stem cells identifies genes associated with patient survival Pär G Engström, Diva Tommei, Stefan H Stricker, Christine Ender, Steven M Pollard, Paul Bertone Genome Medicine 2012, 4:76 (9 October 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary High-throughput sequencing of transcript tags revealed a gene expression signature that correlates with tumor stage and patient survival in a glioblastoma-derived neural stem cell model.
		Research article Human amniotic fluid stem cell injection therapy for urethral sphincter regeneration in an animal model Bum Kim, So Chun, Jong Lee, Hyun Lim, Jae-sung Bae, Ho-Yun Chung, Anthony Atala, Shay Soker, James J Yoo, Tae Kwon BMC Medicine 2012, 10:94 (21 August 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Human amniotic fluid stem cells can differentiate into muscle cells and restore urethral sphincter function in a mouse model of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), suggesting that they could be a new non-invasive therapeutic option for SUI.
		Review Challenges to the clinical application of pluripotent stem cells: towards genomic and functional stability Xuemei Fu, Yang Xu Genome Medicine 2012, 4:55 (28 June 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Yang Xu and Xuemei Fu review recent challenges for the clinical application of ESCs and iPSCs, including epigenetic and genetic abnormalities, a risk of teratomas, and immunogenicity.
		Forum What does the concept of the stem cell niche really mean today? Arthur D Lander, Judith Kimble, Hans Clevers, Elaine Fuchs, Didier Montarras, Margaret Buckingham, Anne L Calof, Andreas Trumpp, Thordur Oskarsson BMC Biology 2012, 10:19 (9 March 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary How do current researchers view the stem cell niche? Eight experts from different fields provide their perspective, and ask how stem cells evolve in such an environment, launching a new Forum article type within the cross-journal collection on stem cells.
		Research article Reversal of type 1 diabetes via islet β cell regeneration following immune modulation by cord blood-derived multipotent stem cells Yong Zhao, Zhaoshun Jiang, Tingbao Zhao, Mingliang Ye, Chengjin Hu, Zhaohui Yin, Heng Li, Ye Zhang, Yalin Diao, Yunxiang Li, Yingjian Chen, Xiaoming Sun, Mary Fisk, Randal Skidgel, Mark Holterman, Bellur Prabhakar, Theodore Mazzone BMC Medicine 2012, 10:3 (10 January 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary The safe reversal of Type 1 diabetes is possible with Stem Cell Educator therapy which uses stem cells from cord blood to re-educate a diabetic's own T cells, restarts pancreatic function, and reduces the need for insulin.
		Minireview Clinical application of stem cell therapy in Parkinson's disease Marios Politis, Olle Lindvall BMC Medicine 2012, 10:1 (4 January 2012) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Politis and Lindvall review the evidence from clinical trials of human foetal ventral mesencephalic transplantation to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and review the current status of stem cell therapy, both of which aim to provide long-lasting relief of patients' symptoms.
		Review Hematopoietic stem cells, hematopoiesis and disease: lessons from the zebrafish model Corey S Martin, Akemi Moriyama, Leonard I Zon Genome Medicine 2011, 3:83 (29 December 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Martin, Moriyama and Zon review the advantages of zebrafish for studying early development of blood cells and highlight recent discoveries using this model that show clinical promise.
		Review Transcriptomic analysis of pluripotent stem cells: insights into health and disease Jia-Chi Yeo, Huck-Hui Ng Genome Medicine 2011, 3:68 (27 October 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Jia-Chi Yeo and Huck-Hui Ng review recent progress in understanding the transcriptional networks of pluripotent stem cells, and discuss how this knowledge has impacted translational medicine.
		Review Stem cell approaches for diabetes: towards beta cell replacement Gordon C Weir, Claudia Cavelti-Weder, Susan Bonner-Weir Genome Medicine 2011, 3:61 (27 September 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Gordon Weir at al. review advances in understanding diabetes at the genomic level, and discuss how stem-cell-based approaches might be used for replacing beta cells and for treating the various forms of diabetes.
		Review Capturing Alzheimer's disease genomes with induced pluripotent stem cells: prospects and challenges Mason A Israel, Lawrence SB Goldstein Genome Medicine 2011, 3:49 (27 July 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Mason Israel and Lawrence Goldstein review the prospects and challenges for studying Alzheimer's disease genes and modeling pathogenesis using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
		Musings Public perception of stem cell and genomics research M William Lensch Genome Medicine 2011, 3:44 (6 July 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary William Lensch muses on factors influencing the public perception of translational stem cell and genomics research, for which public and patient engagement is increasingly important.
		Review Stem cell biology and drug discovery Lee L Rubin, Kelly M Haston BMC Biology 2011, 9:42 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Lee Rubin and Kelly Haston survey recent research on the contribution of pluripotent cells to modeling disease with the aim of improving the efficiency of drug discovery and prediction of unexpected drug toxicities.
		Opinion Stochastic dynamics and the evolution of mutations in stem cells David Dingli, Jorge M Pacheco BMC Biology 2011, 9:41 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Stem cell populations are small and therefore clonal expansion of mutant cells is susceptible to stochastic effects. Dingli and Pacheco propose that such effects may result in the unfavorable acquisition of mutations causing potentially lethal disease and occasionally, stochastic extinction could explain the disappearance of mutant clones.
		Comment The individuality of stem cells Arthur D Lander BMC Biology 2011, 9:40 (7 June 2011) Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Arthur Lander reflects on how current assumptions that stem cells divide asymmetrically and are programmed to produce the right differentiated cell types at the right times may fail to acknowledge a fundamental contribution of stem cell individuality.
		Review Epigenomics of human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells: insights into pluripotency and implications for disease Alvaro Rada-Iglesias, Joanna Wysocka Genome Medicine 2011, 3:36 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Wysocka and Rada-Iglesias review advances in epigenomic profiling of human pluripotent stem cells, highlighting the roles of regulatory elements and the implications for disease.
		Musings Genomic and stem cell policy issues: more alike than different? Mary A Majumder Genome Medicine 2011, 3:35 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Mary Majumder muses on the convergence of stem cell and genomics policy discussions, highlighting common areas of concern such as communication, consent, commercialization and clinical integration.
		Editorial Genome Medicine: stem cells, genomics and translational research Stuart H Orkin Genome Medicine 2011, 3:34 (7 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary An editorial by Guest Editor Stuart Orkin introduces this new series of articles, highlighting progress in genomic-scale studies of stem cells and cellular reprogramming that could impact medicine.
		Research article Differential properties of human ACL and MCL stem cells may be responsible for their differential healing capacity Jianying Zhang, Tiffany Pan, Hee-Jeong Im, Freddie H Fu, James HC Wang BMC Medicine 2011, 9:68 (2 June 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Two knee ligaments often injured in athletes are known to have different healing capabilities and these are now shown to possess different stem cell populations with varying regeneration capacity – shedding light on the potential mechanism for the disparity.
		Review Clinical trials for stem cell therapies Alan Trounson, Rahul G Thakar, Geoff Lomax, Don Gibbons BMC Medicine 2011, 9:52 (10 May 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Trounson and colleagues review recent developments and future prospects of clinical trials for stem cell therapies, highlighting usage of mesenchymal and neural stem cells, and reporting on the start of trials involving lines derived from pluripotent cells.
		Commentary Novel approaches for immune reconstitution and adaptive immune modeling with human pluripotent stem cells Michael D Green, Hans-Willem Snoeck BMC Medicine 2011, 9:51 (10 May 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Green and Snoeck comment on the prospect of deriving immune cells from pluripotent stem cells, and their potential application in animal models, tissue transplantation, and modulation of autoimmune and infectious diseases.
		Commentary Optimizing functional imaging protocols for assessing the outcome of fetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease Marios Politis BMC Medicine 2011, 9:50 (10 May 2011) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Politis comments on how an optimized functional imaging protocol based on recent developments in the field may aid new clinical trials in assessing the safety and efficacy of fetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease (PD).