Organ transplantation has been the most important therapeutic advance in the last third of the 20th century. Its development has revolutionized medicine, as demonstrated by the fact that a large number of researchers in this field have been awarded Nobel Prizes. In the beginning of this century, we are witnessing with great expectations the emergence of a new field of medicine related to the arrival of a new player on the scene: ¿stem cells¿ and their potential use in regenerative medicine. This volume aims to cover important aspects of the various facets of organ transplantation and regenerative medicine, with leading specialists in these fields setting out their vision. We try to rigorously explain current and novel scientific research in these fields¿areas which arouse great interest from society in general, due to their potential use in modern medicine for the treatment of a great number of diseases.

Focuses on the guidance cues and molecular pathways regulating HSC trafficking throughout the lifetime of the organism

The Frontiers of Organ Transplantation and Cell Therapy.- Organ Transplantation in the 21st Century.- Immunology and the Challenge of Transplantation.- Cellular Immunotolerance in the Transplant.- Immunosuppression in the Era of Biological Agents.- Transgenic Organs and Xenotransplants.- Cell and Tissue Therapy in Regenerative Medicine.- Characteristics of Adult Stem Cells.- Bone Marrow Transplantation Extends its Scope.- Biology of Stem Cells: The Role of Microenvironments.- Mobilization and Homing of Hematopoietic Stem Cells.- Great Promise of Tissue-Resident Adult Stem/Progenitor Cells in Transplantation and Cancer Therapies.- Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Clinical Applicat Ions and Cancer Modeling.- Neural Stem Cells and Transplantation Studies in Parkinson's Disease.- Biological Impact of Humanembryoni C Stem Cells.- Epigenetics of Embryoni C Stem Cells.- New Tools in Regenerative Medicine: Gene Therapy.- Therapeutic Cloning and Cellular Reprogramming.- Advances in Stem Cell Therapy.- Tissue Bioengineering and Artificial Organs.