Stem Cells in Experimental Medicine

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 4335

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Interests: skin stem cells; AAV-mediated gene therapy

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Guest Editor
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: stem cell differentiation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Stem cells possess the remarkable ability to self-renew and differentiate into functional cells, playing pivotal roles during organogenesis and in adults, where they continue to be responsible for repairing wounded tissues. The potential of exogenous stem cells (or their derived exosomes) to restore the function of damaged tissues, either through cell replacement or by secreting growth factors, holds great promise for therapeutic applications. The combination of stem cells with biodegradable materials further enhances the potential of stem-cell-based therapies. Stem-cell-derived organoids and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSs) are widely used for disease modeling and drug screening.

Despite the significant progress in stem cell research, there remain numerous challenges, including expanding stem cells without losing stemness in vitro, enhancing the survival of transplanted stem cells within damaged tissues, and ensuring their integration into host tissue to function effectively. Investigating the molecular mechanisms of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation will further advance the translational research on stem cells.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for cutting-edge research addressing the challenge of stem cells in experimental medicine. I invite you to contribute your expertise; we welcome original manuscripts as well as reviews in these fields.

Prof. Dr. Xinhua Liao
Dr. Xusheng Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • adult stem cells
  • induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSs)
  • embryonic stem cells
  • progenitor cells
  • stem-cell-derived organoids
  • stem-cell-derived exosomes
  • stem-cell-based therapy
  • stem-cell-based disease modeling
  • stem-cell-based tissue engineering

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

18 pages, 1524 KiB  
Review
Dermal Papilla Cells: From Basic Research to Translational Applications
by He-Li Zhang, Xi-Xi Qiu and Xin-Hua Liao
Biology 2024, 13(10), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13100842 - 20 Oct 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3856
Abstract
As an appendage of the skin, hair protects against ultraviolet radiation and mechanical damage and regulates body temperature. It also reflects an individual’s health status and serves as an important method of expressing personality. Hair loss and graying are significant psychosocial burdens for [...] Read more.
As an appendage of the skin, hair protects against ultraviolet radiation and mechanical damage and regulates body temperature. It also reflects an individual’s health status and serves as an important method of expressing personality. Hair loss and graying are significant psychosocial burdens for many people. Hair is produced from hair follicles, which are exclusively controlled by the dermal papilla (DP) at their base. The dermal papilla cells (DPCs) comprise a cluster of specialized mesenchymal cells that induce the formation of hair follicles during early embryonic development through interaction with epithelial precursor cells. They continue to regulate the growth cycle, color, size, and type of hair after the hair follicle matures by secreting various factors. DPCs possess stem cell characteristics and can be cultured and expanded in vitro. DPCs express numerous stemness-related factors, enabling them to be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using only two, or even one, Yamanaka factor. DPCs are an important source of skin-derived precursors (SKPs). When combined with epithelial stem cells, they can reconstitute skin and hair follicles, participating in the regeneration of the dermis, including the DP and dermal sheath. When implanted between the epidermis and dermis, DPCs can induce the formation of new hair follicles on hairless skin. Subcutaneous injection of DPCs and their exosomes can promote hair growth. This review summarizes the in vivo functions of the DP; highlights the potential of DPCs in cell therapy, particularly for the treatment of hair loss; and discusses the challenges and recent advances in the field, from basic research to translational applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stem Cells in Experimental Medicine)
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