About this Research Topic
Stem cells are the building blocks of every multicellular organism. They are responsible for the replenishment of specialized progeny during development, homeostasis and injury, through a tightly-regulated balance between self-renewal and differentiation. Although much has been said about them, some truly basic criteria such as their identity, self-renewal capacity, and properties (self-renewal and multipotential differentiation) are still a matter of heated debate. Moreover, the vertiginous increase in the amount of literature in the area imposes a real challenge for the scientific community to stay on top of the current knowledge on this always evolving field.
We address this hurdle in this article collection with a series of review articles that will not only facilitate but also deepen our understanding of the basic characteristics and mechanisms employed by stem/progenitor cells to perform their function in tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Our main goal is to create a space for a broad debate on the current concepts in the stem cell field while also creating a small compendium for the younger minds that are starting to adventure into this fascinating field.
We would like to gather in this series a collection of reviews on the basic aspects of the stem cell characteristics and function with in-depth views that will comprise a compendium of the state-of-the-art knowledge in this field.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Defining stem cells and its properties (What's in a name: defining stem cells?)
- Stem cell Niche (Where stem cells live?)
- Why does the stem cell remain in the undifferentiated state?
- Why do stem cells become committed to differentiation?
- ABC of Adipogenesis
- ABC of Chondrogenesis
- ABC of Osteogenesis
- ABC of Neurogenesis
- Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC)
- Mesenchymal/Stromal Stem Cells (MSC)
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSC)
- Epithelial Stem Cells (EpiSC)
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
- Stem cell aging (The immortality dilemma: do stem cells age?)
- Cancer stem cells (When things go wrong: cancer stem cells)
- Stem cell-based cell therapy (The journey towards the bedside: stem cells and therapy)
We address this hurdle in this article collection with a series of review articles that will not only facilitate but also deepen our understanding of the basic characteristics and mechanisms employed by stem/progenitor cells to perform their function in tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Our main goal is to create a space for a broad debate on the current concepts in the stem cell field while also creating a small compendium for the younger minds that are starting to adventure into this fascinating field.
We would like to gather in this series a collection of reviews on the basic aspects of the stem cell characteristics and function with in-depth views that will comprise a compendium of the state-of-the-art knowledge in this field.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Defining stem cells and its properties (What's in a name: defining stem cells?)
- Stem cell Niche (Where stem cells live?)
- Why does the stem cell remain in the undifferentiated state?
- Why do stem cells become committed to differentiation?
- ABC of Adipogenesis
- ABC of Chondrogenesis
- ABC of Osteogenesis
- ABC of Neurogenesis
- Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC)
- Mesenchymal/Stromal Stem Cells (MSC)
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSC)
- Epithelial Stem Cells (EpiSC)
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
- Stem cell aging (The immortality dilemma: do stem cells age?)
- Cancer stem cells (When things go wrong: cancer stem cells)
- Stem cell-based cell therapy (The journey towards the bedside: stem cells and therapy)
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
