Preface

Few events in science have captured the same level of sustained interest and imagination of the nonscientific community as Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering, and Regenerative Medicine. Each of us, scientist or not, is related to someone who has diabetes, arthritis, cardiac failure, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, or other debilitating diseases. The fundamental concept of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine is appealing to scientists, physicians, and lay peo‐ ple alike: to heal tissue or organ defects that the current medical practice deems difficult or impossible to cure.

The term "stem cell" appeared in the scientific literature as early as 1868 in the work of the eminent German biologist Ernst Haeckel. Haeckel, a supporter of Darwinian evolution, de‐ veloped a number of phylogenetic trees to represent the evolution of organisms from com‐ mon ancestors and called these trees *Stammbaume* ("stem trees"). In this context, he used the term *Stammzelle* ("stem cell") to describe the ancestor unicellular organism from which he presumed all multicellular organisms evolved. In 1868, Ernst Neumann suggested that hem‐ atopoiesis occurs in bone marrow. He used the term "stem cell" to refer to the common pre‐ cursor of the blood system in 1912. The debate about the existence of a common hematopoietic stem cell continued for several decades until definitive evidence was provid‐ ed in 1961 by two Canadian scientists, James Till and Ernest McCulloch. In a quite astonish‐ ing discovery, Kazutoshi Takahashi and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan in 2006 for the first time turned adult mouse skin fibroblast cells into pluripotent cells, and these are now referred to as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. The discovery of iPS cells turned the field of nuclear reprogramming upside down. This work was extended and fur‐ ther confirmed by several groups that generated iPS cells from individuals with various neurodegenerative diseases, raising the hope of cell replacement therapy and making per‐ sonalized medicine a reality. Although Yamanaka's technologies can generate living ani‐ mals, we do not know the molecular mechanisms underlying these two strategies. The potential of iPS cell technology in biology and medicine is enormous; however, it is still in its infancy, and there are many challenges to overcome before various applications can be used successfully.

The term "tissue engineering" was first used by Eugene Bell of MIT in 1984, and later was also used extensively by Wolter and Meyer in 1984. Tissue engineering combines cells, engi‐ neering, and materials methods with suitable biochemical and physiochemical factors to im‐ prove or replace biologic functions. In other words, it deals with the repair or replacement of portions of or whole tissues such as bone, cartilage, tendon, blood vessels, bladder, skin, and artificial organs. According to Robert Langer and Joseph Vacanti, it "applies the princi‐ ples of engineering and life sciences toward the development of biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve tissue function or a whole organ." Powerful developments in

the multidisciplinary field of tissue engineering have yielded a novel set of tissue replace‐ ment parts and implementation strategies. Scientific advances in biomaterials, stem cells, growth and differentiation factors, and biomimetic environments have created unique op‐ portunities to fabricate tissues in the laboratory from combinations of engineered extracellu‐ lar matrices (scaffolds), cells, and biologically active molecules.

Regenerative medicine is a new branch of medicine that attempts to change the course of chronic disease, in many instances regenerating failing organ systems lost due to age, dis‐ ease, damage, or congenital defects. The term "regenerative medicine" was first referred to in 1992 by Leland Kaiser and then popularly used by William Haselstine of Human Genome Sciences. The term regenerative medicine is often used synonymously with tissue engineer‐ ing, although those involved in regenerative medicine place more emphasis on the use of stem cells to treat diseases using cell therapies or transplantation methods. This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating previ‐ ously irreparable organs to heal themselves. Regenerative medicine also empowers scien‐ tists to grow tissues and organs in the laboratory and safely implant them when the body cannot heal itself. This area is rapidly becoming one of the most promising treatment op‐ tions for patients suffering from tissue failure.

The selected articles of this book of *Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering* fairly reflect the state of the art of these two disciplines at this time as well as their therapeutic applica‐ tion. It covers numerous topics, such as stem cells, cell culture, polymer synthesis, novel bio‐ materials, drug delivery, therapeutics, and the creation of tissues and organs.

This text consists of 33 chapters, grouped into 4 sections. Most of the chapters are written by experts in the field from academia and industry. The goal is to have this book serve as a reference for graduate students, post-docs, teachers, scientists and physicians, and as an ex‐ planatory analysis for executives in biotech and pharmaceutical companies. I hope that this compendium is of great benefit to you in your work, and also will provide a prologue to the field for both newcomers and those already active in the field.

Many people have contributed to making our involvement in this project possible. We are extremely thankful to all of the contributors to this book, without whose commitment this book would not have been possible. Many people have had a hand in the preparation of this book. We thank our readers, who have made our hours putting together this volume worth it. We are indebted to the staff of INTECH open science, and in particular Danijela Duric for her generosity in giving time and effort throughout the editing of this book. This book is dedicated to our patients and to the memory of all experimental animals who contribute daily with their donation to develop of the science we make.

> **José A. Andrades** University of Málaga Spain

*To my mother María Luisa To the memory of my father Julián To my wife Eva* **Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine**

the multidisciplinary field of tissue engineering have yielded a novel set of tissue replace‐ ment parts and implementation strategies. Scientific advances in biomaterials, stem cells, growth and differentiation factors, and biomimetic environments have created unique op‐ portunities to fabricate tissues in the laboratory from combinations of engineered extracellu‐

Regenerative medicine is a new branch of medicine that attempts to change the course of chronic disease, in many instances regenerating failing organ systems lost due to age, dis‐ ease, damage, or congenital defects. The term "regenerative medicine" was first referred to in 1992 by Leland Kaiser and then popularly used by William Haselstine of Human Genome Sciences. The term regenerative medicine is often used synonymously with tissue engineer‐ ing, although those involved in regenerative medicine place more emphasis on the use of stem cells to treat diseases using cell therapies or transplantation methods. This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating previ‐ ously irreparable organs to heal themselves. Regenerative medicine also empowers scien‐ tists to grow tissues and organs in the laboratory and safely implant them when the body cannot heal itself. This area is rapidly becoming one of the most promising treatment op‐

The selected articles of this book of *Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering* fairly reflect the state of the art of these two disciplines at this time as well as their therapeutic applica‐ tion. It covers numerous topics, such as stem cells, cell culture, polymer synthesis, novel bio‐

This text consists of 33 chapters, grouped into 4 sections. Most of the chapters are written by experts in the field from academia and industry. The goal is to have this book serve as a reference for graduate students, post-docs, teachers, scientists and physicians, and as an ex‐ planatory analysis for executives in biotech and pharmaceutical companies. I hope that this compendium is of great benefit to you in your work, and also will provide a prologue to the

Many people have contributed to making our involvement in this project possible. We are extremely thankful to all of the contributors to this book, without whose commitment this book would not have been possible. Many people have had a hand in the preparation of this book. We thank our readers, who have made our hours putting together this volume worth it. We are indebted to the staff of INTECH open science, and in particular Danijela Duric for her generosity in giving time and effort throughout the editing of this book. This book is dedicated to our patients and to the memory of all experimental animals who contribute

> **José A. Andrades** University of Málaga

> > *To my wife Eva*

*To my mother María Luisa To the memory of my father Julián*

Spain

materials, drug delivery, therapeutics, and the creation of tissues and organs.

field for both newcomers and those already active in the field.

daily with their donation to develop of the science we make.

lar matrices (scaffolds), cells, and biologically active molecules.

tions for patients suffering from tissue failure.

XII Preface
