Genetic Engineering of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
MSC (mesenchymal stem cells) have been reported to initiate revascularization after injury, to facilitate engraftment of blood-forming stem cells, and to reduce the incidence of graft-vs. host disease through their immune-suppressive qualities. Finally, bone marrow-derived MSC have been reported to home to areas of solid tumor revascularization, and thus may be used as delivery vehicles to target ablative agents into dividing tumor cells. Recently the characteristics of human MSC from adipose (fat) tissue have also been identified. The possibility of repairing tissues, speeding stem cell engraftment, and targeting solid tumors for specific killing, using MSC easily harvested from bone marrow, or better yet, from unwanted fat tissue, holds broad appeal, and is an intriguing possibility that could have dramatic effect on health care. This book has information on how to isolate, grow, and characterize MSC from marrow and fat, and gives important insight into how these cells may be used for gene delivery and cellular therapies in the future. Updates on emerging clinical trials are given.
Cell Technology for Cell Products ; Proceedings of the 19th ESACT Meeting, Harrogate, UK, June 5-8, 2005
The 19th ESACT meeting was to highlight the novel capabilities of the industry to move the products towards the clinic and was attended by a wide range of workers in the industry and for many it was their first ESACT meeting. The meeting was started with a session on Transcription to Secretion with a notable set of presentations on the emerging issues. The other sessions that followed Therapeutic Cell Engineering, Gene Medicine, Cells to Tissue, Protein products and Process Technology guided the delegates through the advances made for the progression of the biotechnology towards the industrial application of the products from cells. The meeting was supported by some exceptional invited speakers from around the world whose contributions complemented the emerging technologies and the changes being made at the industrial end of the ESACT spectrum.
Bioreactors for Tissue Engineering : Principles, Design and Operation
This volume addresses the issue of mechanical conditioning of the tissue, and describes the use of techniques such as MRI for monitoring tissue growth. It also deals with the application of bioreactor technology to tissue engineering products.


