Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs): NovelMethods for Characterization, Understanding Differentiation, and Function
1Bioinformatics Institute, Singapore
2Life Technologies, Frederick, MD, USA
3University of Mississippi Medical Centre, Jackson, MS, USA
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs): NovelMethods for Characterization, Understanding Differentiation, and Function
Description
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) are increasingly being used to treat various disorders. It is important to identify good biomarkers for MSCs from different sources, understand differentiation mechanisms of MSCs into various lineages to predict how MSCs will behave in a transplanted microenvironment. It is also important to optimize cell dose, delivery mode, delivery timing and develop methods for manufacturing and assessing the quality of therapeutically used MSCs. Such optimizations may be tissue or disease specific. We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the biology of MSC differentiation. We are particularly interested in articles describing novel methods to characterize MSCs at the molecular and functional level, understanding regulation of MSC differentiation, and identifying the uses of MSCs for treating novel disorders. Potential topics include, but not limited to:
- Novel biomarkers for MSCs
- Epigenetic regulation of MSC differentiation
- Role of MSCs in tumor initiation and progression
- Novel surfaces for targeted differentiation of MSCs
- Novel potency assays for MSC
- Recent advances in delivery of MSCs in different tissues
- Use of MSCs to treat novel disorders
Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/sci/msca/ according to the following timetable: