Challenges and Advances of Therapeutic Approaches in Human Diseases: Focus on Stem Cell Therapies

Dear Colleagues,

Stem cell therapies currently represent one of the major challenges of modern medicinal applications, mainly focused on human diseases previously considered to be incurable. Stem cells can be obtained either from embryonic, fetal, or adult origin and share key regenerative properties in replacing damaged cells or tissue. In the past, it has been proposed that human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) could be used in the field of regenerative medicine; however, the emerging bioethical issues have limited their application. As well as ESCs, lineage-restricted stem cells with less bioethical considerations can be potentially applied either in an autologous or allogeneic manner for most applications within medicine.

In this way, a specific category of stem cells known as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been shown to, besides their key regenerative abilities, exert important immunoregulatory properties. Therefore, MSCs have been used in several clinical trials, including their administration in patients suffering from autoimmune disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease), or more recently in severely conditioned COVID-19 patients, showing mostly very optimistic results. Moreover, stem cells can be engineered in vitro to be used as vehicles bearing specific drugs or nanomaterials to target cells. Recently, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have begun to represent another aspect of great stem cell applications. Until now, the widest application of stem cells, worldwide, represents the transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) derived either from bone marrow, peripheral blood after growth factor stimulation, or cord blood in patients suffering from hematological malignancies. HSCs can further be manipulated to be used as a source for the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T or NK cells, known as advanced therapeutic medicinal products (ATMPs).

Based on the above aspects, an important question arises: what are the future challenges and applications of stem cells for combating human disorders?

I am delighted to present this Special Issue, entitled “Challenges and Advances of Therapeutic Approaches in Human Diseases: Focus on Stem Cell Therapies”. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, opinion articles, and comprehensive reviews related to the challenges and applications of stem cells in human diseases. Since this Special Issue is of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, clinical studies, including biomolecular experimentation, are welcome to be submitted.

I look forward to receiving your submissions to this Special Issue, providing detailed information to scientists in these fields regarding the beneficial application of stem cells in human disorders.

Dr. Panagiotis Mallis
Guest Editor

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• stem cells therapies
• embryonic stem cells
• mesenchymal stromal cells
• hematopoietic stem cells
• induced pluripotent stem cells
• human disorders