Stems cells and regeneration: Special Review Issue

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Stem Cells and Regeneration: Special Review Issue

When the editorial board of Human Molecular Genetics was queried to consider potential topic areas for the annual ‘special review’, one topic that was enthusiastically endorsed was ‘stem cells and regenerative medicine’. The fusion of these two topics reflected the hope and potential that advances in regenerative medicine may be the primary outcome of much of the current basic and translational research in the field of stem cell researches.

The goal in soliciting input for this special issue was to capture the current thinking, and identify priorities, in stem cell biology as it relates specifically to human molecular genetics. The order of the articles in this issue approximates the timeline of embryonic development toward adulthood and then regeneration. Many of the important germline derivatives are covered in this review, to include pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and their genetic regulation, animal ESC models and potential applications. Organ- or tissue-specific applications encompass dermal and endocrine derivatives, applications toward neural and skeletal diseases and potential therapies in regeneration. In order to capture a glimpse of the current view of stem cell and regenerative medicine, we asked several leaders in stem cell biology to comment on what they considered the most important issues currently facing the fields of stem cell and regeneration.