Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine


Book Description

Recent scientific breakthroughs, celebrity patient advocates, and conflicting religious beliefs have come together to bring the state of stem cell researchâ€"specifically embryonic stem cell researchâ€"into the political crosshairs. President Bush's watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines. Millions of Americans could be affected by the continuing political debate among policymakers and the public. Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine provides a deeper exploration of the biological, ethical, and funding questions prompted by the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human cells. In terms accessible to lay readers, the book summarizes what we know about adult and embryonic stem cells and discusses how to go about the transition from mouse studies to research that has therapeutic implications for people. Perhaps most important, Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine also provides an overview of the moral and ethical problems that arise from the use of embryonic stem cells. This timely book compares the impact of public and private research funding and discusses approaches to appropriate research oversight. Based on the insights of leading scientists, ethicists, and other authorities, the book offers authoritative recommendations regarding the use of existing stem cell lines versus new lines in research, the important role of the federal government in this field of research, and other fundamental issues.




Manipulating the Mouse Embryo


Book Description

Provides background information and detailed protocols for developing a mouse colony and using the animals in transgenic and gene-targeting experiments. The protocols list the animals, equipment, and reagents required and step-by-step procedures. Topics include in vitro culture of preimplantation embryos, surgical procedures, the production of chimeras, and the analysis of genome alterations. The third edition adds protocols for cloning mice, modifying embryonic stem cells, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and cryopreservation of embryos.




Mammalian Development


Book Description

"A subject collection from Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology."




Examining the State of the Science of Mammalian Embryo Model Systems


Book Description

Because of the recent advances in embryo modeling techniques, and at the request of the Office of Science Policy in the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, hosted a 1-day public workshop that would explore the state of the science of mammalian embryo model systems. The workshop, which took place on January 17, 2020, featured a combination of presentations, panels, and general discussions, during which panelists and participants offered a broad range of perspectives. Participants considered whether embryo model systems - especially those that use nonhuman primate cells - can be used to predict the function of systems made with human cells. Presentations provided an overview of the current state of the science of in vitro development of human trophoblast. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.




Cell Fate in Mammalian Development


Book Description

Cell Fate in Mammalian Development, Volume 128, the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series, provides reviews on cell fate in mammalian development. Each chapter is written by an international board of authors, with this release including sections on the Specification of extra-embryonic lineages during mouse pre-implantation development, Cell polarity and fate specification, The circuitry that drives trophectoderm identity, Breaking symmetry and the dynamics of transcription factors directing cell fate specification, Mechanics and cell fate, How physical properties of cells change in development and their effect on cell fate decisions, and more. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Includes new sections on the specification of extra-embryonic lineages during mouse pre-implantation development, cell polarity and fate specification, the circuitry that drives trophectoderm identity, and more - Presents the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series




Stem Cells in Reproductive Medicine


Book Description

Stem cell science has the potential to impact human reproductive medicine significantly - cutting edge technologies allow the production and regeneration of viable gametes from human stem cells offering potential to preciously infertile patients. Written by leading experts in the field Stem Cells in Reproductive Medicine brings together chapters on the genetics and epigenetics of both the male and female gametes as well as advice on the production and regeneration of gene cells in men and women, trophoblasts and endometrium from human embryonic and adult stem cells. Although focussing mainly on the practical elements of the use of stem cells in reproductive medicine, the book also contains a section on new developments in stem cell research. The book is essential reading for reproductive medicine clinicians, gynecologists and embryologists who want to keep abreast of practical developments in this rapidly developing field.




Mouse Development


Book Description

The mouse is a perfect model organism to study mammalian, and thus indirectly also human, embryology. Most scientific achievements that have had an important impact on the understanding of basic mechanisms governing embryo development in humans, originated from mouse embryology. Stem cell research, which now offers the promise of regenerative medicine, began with the isolation and culture of mouse embryonic stem cells by Martin Evans (who received the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2007 for this achievement) and Matthew Kaufman. This book provides an overview of mouse development, spanning from oocytes before fertilization to the state-of-the-art description of embryonic and adult stem cells. The chapters, written by the leading specialists in the field, deal with the most recent discoveries in this extremely fast-developing area of research.




Cell Movements


Book Description

This book vividly describes how complex and integrated movements can arise from the properties and behaviors of biological molecules. It provides a uniquely integrated account in which the latest findings from biophysics and molecular biology are put into the context of living cells. This second edition is updated throughout with recent advances in the field and has a completely revised and redrawn art program. The text is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and for professionals wishing for an overview of this field.




Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment


Book Description

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment reviews advances made during the last 10-15 years in fields such as developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It describes a novel approach for how these advances might be used in combination with existing methodologies to further the understanding of mechanisms of developmental toxicity, to improve the assessment of chemicals for their ability to cause developmental toxicity, and to improve risk assessment for developmental defects. For example, based on the recent advances, even the smallest, simplest laboratory animals such as the fruit fly, roundworm, and zebrafish might be able to serve as developmental toxicological models for human biological systems. Use of such organisms might allow for rapid and inexpensive testing of large numbers of chemicals for their potential to cause developmental toxicity; presently, there are little or no developmental toxicity data available for the majority of natural and manufactured chemicals in use. This new approach to developmental toxicology and risk assessment will require simultaneous research on several fronts by experts from multiple scientific disciplines, including developmental toxicologists, developmental biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians.




The Cell Biology of Stem Cells


Book Description

Stem cells have been gaining a lot of attention in recent years. Their unique potential to self-renew and differentiate has turned them into an attractive model for the study of basic biological questions such as cell division, replication, transcription, cell fate decisions, and more. With embryonic stem (ES) cells that can generate each cell type in the mammalian body and adult stem cells that are able to give rise to the cells within a given lineage, basic questions at different developmental stages can be addressed. Importantly, both adult and embryonic stem cells provide an excellent tool for cell therapy, making stem cell research ever more pertinent to regenerative medicine. As the title The Cell Biology of Stem Cells suggests, our book deals with multiple aspects of stem cell biology, ranging from their basic molecular characteristics to the in vivo stem cell trafficking of adult stem cells and the adult stem-cell niche, and ends with a visit to regeneration and cell fate reprogramming. In the first chapter, “Early embryonic cell fate decisions in the mouse”, Amy Ralson and Yojiro Yamanaka describe the mechanisms that support early developmental decisions in the mouse pre-implantation embryo and the current understanding of the source of the most immature stem cell types, which includes ES cells, trophoblast stem (TS) cells and extraembryonic endoderm stem (XEN) cells.