Over the last decade, stem cells represent an ideal cell source for applications in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and treatment of degenerative disease, autoimmune diseases, and Graft-versus-Host diseases. Several advances have been made in constructing artificial three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments to decipher the components of the stem cell niche and to probe the complex molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cell fate and functions including self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and immune functions. Emerging biomaterial- and micro/nanotechnology-based platforms have advanced our understanding of the underlying mechanistic principles that govern the microenvironmental regulation of stem cell fate and functions in health and disease. More recently, it has been shown that the stem cell microenvironment not only influences stem cell fate and function, but also exerts profound effects on the secretome and extracellular matrix production of stem cells and tissue-resident cells, as well as overall tissue regeneration.

In light of the growing importance and impact of mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies, we invite reviews and original research papers that will facilitate understanding of the mesenchymal stem cell microenvironment, and offer potential strategies for clinical applications.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Stem cell-biomaterials interactions
• Stem cell secretome and its modulation
• Endogenous stem cells in tissue repair
• Immunomodulatory properties of stem cells
• 3D cultures for stem cell research
• Micro/nanotechnology in stem cell research