Introduction

Stem cell and regenerative medicine research is a hot area of research which promises to change the face of medicine as it will be practiced in the years to come. Challenges in 21st century to combat cancer, Alzheimer and related diseases may well be addressed employing stem cell therapies and tissue regeneration. The first volume of ‘Frontiers in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research’ features reviews written by experts in key areas of stem cells and regenerative medicine. It summarizes the safety assessment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in musculoskeletal implantation that can bridge the gap between translation from animals to humans. The most prevalent strategies to improve immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have also been focused upon. This is particularly important because chemotherapy and pre-transplant conditioning impairs thymic function.

The application of regenerative medicine for repair of damaged cornea and ocular has also been discussed. The emerging techniques for tissue engineering of functional corneal equivalents represent a new and fascinating way to treat corneal diseases. The area of recently used nanofibrous substrates, as an alternative tool for the expansion and differentiation of embryonic stem cells, has been included in this e-book. In future, such technologies could promote the use of hESC-derived cells for clinical applications successfully.