**4. Conclusion**

We are at the end of the beginning in the field of stem cell research and stem cell regenerative medicine. Particularly, the development of iPSCs and gene editing techniques have opened a new era of disease modeling and personalized

**115**

*Innovations in Human Stem Cell Research: A Holy Grail for Regenerative Medicine*

medicine. However, although it is feasible, the time and cost for production and validation of autologous iPSC-derived cellular therapeutics have made such personalized medicine unpractical, especially for diseases requiring an immediate therapeutic intervention. Therefore, a more feasible use of iPSCs and iPSCderived cell products would rely on an HLA-matched allogeneic setting. Moreover, targeted differentiation of PSCs into distinct cell subpopulations and proper cell maturation remain to be a challenge in the development of iPSC therapies. In the end, whether the cell products are derived from iPSCs or adult stem cells, they face the same challenges as cellular therapies, that is, large number of cell death after transplantation and poor functional integration of the survived cells. The current efforts on tissue engineering and organoid system have demonstrated promises in overcoming these difficulties. Understanding tissue microenvironment is also the key to develop effective therapies that ensure exogenous cell engraftment and integration and/or augment endogenous tissue stem cell func-

With the excitement of stem cell research, more subtypes of stem cells are entering into clinical studies, and there is a growing interest in commercializing and marketing of these stem cell products. However, caution should be maintained to ensure the quality of cell products and the scientific rationale and rigor for their clinical translation. Lastly, a randomized and controlled clinical trial with large sample size and multiple surrogate endpoints are essential to determine the safety

The authors would like to thank Erin Morris, RN, for assistance in the preparation of this chapter. This work was supported by grants from the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation to MSC, DEBRA International funding to MSC, and National

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88790*

tion for regeneration.

**Acknowledgements**

and efficacy of stem cell therapy.

Natural Science Foundation of China (81472141) to HZ.

*Innovations in Human Stem Cell Research: A Holy Grail for Regenerative Medicine DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88790*

medicine. However, although it is feasible, the time and cost for production and validation of autologous iPSC-derived cellular therapeutics have made such personalized medicine unpractical, especially for diseases requiring an immediate therapeutic intervention. Therefore, a more feasible use of iPSCs and iPSCderived cell products would rely on an HLA-matched allogeneic setting. Moreover, targeted differentiation of PSCs into distinct cell subpopulations and proper cell maturation remain to be a challenge in the development of iPSC therapies. In the end, whether the cell products are derived from iPSCs or adult stem cells, they face the same challenges as cellular therapies, that is, large number of cell death after transplantation and poor functional integration of the survived cells. The current efforts on tissue engineering and organoid system have demonstrated promises in overcoming these difficulties. Understanding tissue microenvironment is also the key to develop effective therapies that ensure exogenous cell engraftment and integration and/or augment endogenous tissue stem cell function for regeneration.

With the excitement of stem cell research, more subtypes of stem cells are entering into clinical studies, and there is a growing interest in commercializing and marketing of these stem cell products. However, caution should be maintained to ensure the quality of cell products and the scientific rationale and rigor for their clinical translation. Lastly, a randomized and controlled clinical trial with large sample size and multiple surrogate endpoints are essential to determine the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy.
