The largely unknown mechanisms that regulate adult stem cells probably involve signals from neighboring differentiated cells. Gap junction channels providing direct cell-cell communication via small molecules are a crucial component of morphogenesis and normal physiology. However, no specific gap junction protein has yet been functionally linked to adult/somatic stem cell behavior in vivo or to...

it is estimated that annually 10 million people are affected by traumatic brain injury and it is one of the major causes of death and disability in accidents. studies have shown the potential therapeutic value of neural stem cell therapies. also, neural stem cell motility and migration to the site of injury has a great regeneration value of the damaged tissues. extracellular and intracellular f...

We introduce three implantable tissue regeneration systems; an implantable cell graft culture system, an implantable electrical stimulation system for bone regeneration, and a liquid crystal polymer (LCP)based bone regeneration device. These devices allow electrical stimulation to stem cell grafts under in vivo circumstances. After a cell culture using the implantable cell graft culture system,...

Technologies such as hearing aids and cochlear implants do provide useful benefit to a large number of individuals with hearing loss, but they are incapable of truly “correcting” a hearing loss. In contrast to these, replacement of hair cells via stem cell therapies holds promise for a cure. Despite the discovery of stem/ progenitor cells in the mammalian cochlea, no regeneration of either dama...

Present review article emphasizes role of biological scaffolds, hydrogels and stem cells in tissue engineering mainly in regeneration or repairing of damaged tissues. Highly porous scaffold biomaterials are developed which act as templates for tissue regeneration and potentially guide the growth of new tissue. Present article also describes de-cellularization, cell printing, vascularization, in...

The mammalian cochlea is a highly complex structure which contains several cells, including sensory receptor or hair cells. The main function of the cochlear hair cells is to convert the mechanical vibrations of the sound into electrical signals, then these signals travel to the brain along the auditory nerve. Auditory hair cells in some amphibians, reptiles, fish, and birds can regenerate or r...

In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Greco et al. (2009) characterize the hair germ as a novel stop between bulge stem cell and transient amplifying cells during hair regeneration. The work implies stem cell states can be regulated to form different numbers of intermediate stops, depending on physiological requirements.

Introduction Injury or loss of the meniscus can lead to osteoarthritis and irreversible joint damage. Recently, tissue engineering-based meniscus regeneration has been attempted to recover meniscus injury. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have demonstrated potential for meniscus regeneration . Of them, synovium-derived stem cells (SDSCs) display the greatest ability for chondrogenic differentiatio...

The ability of animals to regenerate missing parts is a dramatic and poorly understood aspect of biology. The sources of new cells for these regenerative phenomena have been sought for decades. Recent advances involving cell fate tracking in complex tissues have shed new light on the cellular underpinnings of regeneration in Hydra, planarians, zebrafish, Xenopus, and Axolotl. Planarians accompl...

Recent studies have reported on techniques to mobilize and activate endogenous stem-cells in injured kidneys or to introduce exogenous stem cells for tissue repair. Despite many recent advantages in renal regenerative therapy, chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality and the number of CKD patients has been increasing. When the sophisticated structure of the ...