Human Stem Cells and the Liver

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the applicative potential of various types of stem cells, both embryonic and adult, in the treatment of liver diseases. It serves as a primer in the regenerative potential of stem cells by describing in-depth the recent advancement of science and technology in pursuant of methods for directing these cells into the differentiation pathways of hepatocyte-like cells for use in cell transplantation and for the creation of bioartificial liver assist devices.The overall content of the book is structured with a wide range of readership in mind, from young scientists with minimal exposure to stem cells and liver biology to established clinicians and researchers who are primarily interested in enhancing their understanding of this rapidly growing area of science with far-reaching implications for biology as well as for human health. Unlike other stem cell books, this book focuses solely on liver stem cells, with an emphasis on human studies that will have direct relevance to the therapeutic use of these cells. CONTENTS * Liver Cell Transplantation (I Fox) * Hepatic Progenitor Cells (L Reid) * Fetal Hepatoblasts (S Gupta & H Wege) * Pre-clinical Studies of Hematopoetic Stem Cells (I Sakaida & K Okita) * Clinical Studies of Hematopoietic Stem Cells (N Habib & G Salama) * Mesenchymal Stem Cells (J Nolta) * Embryonic Stem Cells (C Jung et al.) * Cord Stem Cells (E Sokal) * Amnionic Stem Cells (S Strom) * Tissue Engineering and the Liver Assist Devices (N zur Neiden) * Pre-clinical Animal Models (J R Chowdhury & C Guha)