• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.65-72
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• 2002

Recently, stem cell-mediated gene therapy is emerging as a novel therapeutic approach. For the successful gene modification of stem cells, the development of a suitable gene transfer technique needs to be preceded. This review focuses on the various gene transfer techniques based on nonviral and viral vectors, and physical methods. The advantages and disadvantages of each gene transfer method are compared, and the general properties of these vectors are discussed in relation to the gene transfer in stem cell research. This review also highlights the therapeutic application of stem cell-mediated gene therapy. The choice of gene transfer vectors may vary depending on the type of the stem cells and the target of stem cell therapy. Of various gene transfer methods, viral vector-based gene therapy has been emphasized due to the higher transfection efficiency. The current status and up-to-date findings of stem cell-mediated gene therapy are discussed in the viewpoint of the various targets of stem cell therapy such as the modification of stem cell potency, the acceleration of regeneration process and the formation of expressional organization.

• Medical Lasers
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.134-141
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• 2020

The use of stem cell therapy to treat various diseases has become a promising approach. The ability of stem cells to self-renew and differentiate can contribute significantly to the success of regenerative medical treatments. In line with these expectations, there is a great need for an efficient research methodology to differentiate stem cells into their specific targets. Photobiomodulation (PBM), formerly known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), is a relatively non-invasive technique that has a therapeutic effect on damaged tissue or cells. Recent advances in adapting PBM to stem cell therapy showed that stem cells and progenitor cells respond favorably to light. PBM stimulates different types of stem cells to enhance their migration, proliferation, and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. This review summarizes the effects of PBM on targeted differentiation across multiple stem cell lineages. The analytical expertise gained can help better understand the current state and the latest findings in PBM and stem cell therapy.

• BMB Reports
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.20-29
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• 2022

Stem cell-based therapy is a promising approach for treating a variety of disorders, including acute brain insults and neurodegenerative diseases. Stem cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), circular membrane fragments (30 nm-1 ㎛) that are shed from the cell surface, carrying several therapeutic molecules such as proteins and microRNAs. Because EV-based therapy is superior to cell therapy in terms of scalable production, biodistribution, and safety profiles, it can be used to treat brain diseases as an alternative to stem cell therapy. This review presents evidences evaluating the role of stem cell-derived EVs in stroke, traumatic brain injury, and degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson' disease. In addition, stem cell-derived EVs have better profiles in biocompatibility, immunogenicity, and safety than those of small chemical and macromolecules. The advantages and disadvantages of EVs compared with other strategies are discussed. Even though EVs obtained from native stem cells have potential in the treatment of brain diseases, the successful clinical application is limited by the short half-life, limited targeting, rapid clearance after application, and insufficient payload. We discuss the strategies to enhance the efficacy of EV therapeutics. Finally, EV therapies have yet to be approved by the regulatory authorities. Major issues are discussed together with relevant advances in the clinical application of EV therapeutics.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.199-206
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• 2005

Cell therapy (CT) is a group of techniques to treat human disorders by transplantation of cells which have been processed and propagated independent of the living body. Blood transfusion and bone marrow transplant have been the primary examples of cell therapy. With introduction of stem cell (SC) technologies, however, CT is perceived as the next generation of biologies to treat human diseases such as cancer, neurological diseases, and heart disease. Despite potential of cell therapy, insufficient guidelines have been implemented concerning safety test and regulation of cell therapy. This review addresses the safety issues to be resolved for the cell therapy, especially SC therapy, to be successfully utilized for clinical practice. Adequate donor cell screening must preceed to ensure safety in cell therapy. In terms of SC culture, controlled, standardized practices and procedures should be established. Further molecular studies should be done on SC development and differentiation to enhance safety level in cell therapy. Finally, animal model must be further installed to evaluate toxicity, new concepts, and proliferative potential of SC including alternative feeder layer of animal cells.

• 생체재료학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.311-318
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• 2018

Background: Tissue regeneration includes delivering specific types of cells or cell products to injured tissues or organs for restoration of tissue and organ function. Stem cell therapy has drawn considerable attention since transplantation of stem cells can overcome the limitations of autologous transplantation of patient's tissues; however, it is not perfect for treating diseases. To overcome the hurdles associated with stem cell therapy, tissue engineering techniques have been developed. Development of stem cell technology in combination with tissue engineering has opened new ways of producing engineered tissue substitutes. Several studies have shown that this combination of tissue engineering and stem cell technologies enhances cell viability, differentiation, and therapeutic efficacy of transplanted stem cells. Main body: Stem cells that can be used for tissue regeneration include mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. Transplantation of stem cells alone into injured tissues exhibited low therapeutic efficacy due to poor viability and diminished regenerative activity of transplanted cells. In this review, we will discuss the progress of biomedical engineering, including scaffolds, biomaterials, and tissue engineering techniques to overcome the low therapeutic efficacy of stem cells and to treat human diseases. Conclusion: The combination of stem cell and tissue engineering techniques overcomes the limitations of stem cells in therapy of human diseases, and presents a new path toward regeneration of injured tissues.

• 한국수정란이식학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국수정란이식학회 2006년도 The 6th Intermational Symposium on Developmental Biotechnology
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• pp.47-48
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• 2006

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.110-116
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• 2014

Cord blood (CB) has been used as an important and ethical source for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) as well as cell therapy by manufacturing mesenchymal stem cell, induced pleuripotential stem cell or just isolating mononuclear cell from CB. Recently, the application of cell-based therapy using CB has expanded its clinical utility, particularly, by using autologous CB in children with refractory diseases. For these purposes, CB has been stored worldwide since mid-1990. In this review, I would like to briefly present the historical development of clinical uses of CB in the fields of SCT and cell therapy, particularly to review the experiences in Korea. Furthermore, I would touch the recent banking status of CB.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

Human cardiomyocytes (CMs) cease to proliferate and remain terminally differentiated thereafter, when humans reach the mid-20s. Thus, any damages sustained by myocardium tissue are irreversible, and they require medical interventions to regain functionality. To date, new surgical procedures and drugs have been developed, albeit with limited success, to treat various heart diseases including myocardial infarction. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop more effective treatment methods to address the increasing mortality rate of the heart diseases. Functional CMs are not only an important in vitro cellular tool to model various types of heart diseases for drug development, but they are also a promising therapeutic agent for cell therapy. However, the limited proliferative capacity entails difficulties in acquiring functional CMs in the scale that is required for pathological studies and cell therapy development. Stem cells, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in particular, have been considered as an unlimited cellular source for providing functional CMs for various applications. Notable progress has already been made: the first clinical trials of hPSCs derived CMs (hPSC-CMs) for treating myocardial infarction was approved in 2015, and their potential use in disease modeling and drug discovery is being fully explored. This concise review gives an account of current development of differentiation, purification and maturation techniques for hPSC-CMs, and their application in cell therapy development and pharmaceutical industries will be discussed with the latest experimental evidence.

• BMB Reports
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.295-303
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• 2019

Breakthroughs in stem cell technology have contributed to disease modeling and drug screening via organoid technology. Organoid are defined as three-dimensional cellular aggregations derived from adult tissues or stem cells. They recapitulate the intricate pattern and functionality of the original tissue. Insulin is secreted mainly by the pancreatic ${\beta}$ cells. Large-scale production of insulin-secreting ${\beta}$ cells is crucial for diabetes therapy. Here, we provide a brief overview of organoids and focus on recent advances in protocols for the generation of pancreatic islet organoids from pancreatic tissue or pluripotent stem cells for insulin secretion. The feasibility and limitations of organoid cultures derived from stem cells for insulin production will be described. As the pancreas and gut share the same embryological origin and produce insulin, we will also discuss the possible application of gut organoids for diabetes therapy. Better understanding of the challenges associated with the current protocols for organoid culture facilitates development of scalable organoid cultures for applications in biomedicine.

• BMB Reports
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• 제55권2호
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• pp.65-71
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• 2022

Regenerative medicine is a research field that develops methods to restore damaged cell or tissue function by regeneration, repair or replacement. Stem cells are the raw material of the body that is ultimately used from the point of view of regenerative medicine, and stem cell therapy uses cells themselves or their derivatives to promote responses to diseases and dysfunctions, the ultimate goal of regenerative medicine. Stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are recognized as an attractive source because they can enrich exogenous microRNAs (miRNAs) by targeting pathological recipient cells for disease therapy and can overcome the obstacles faced by current cell therapy agents. However, there are some limitations that need to be addressed before using miRNA-enriched EVs derived from stem cells for multiplexed therapeutic targeting in many diseases. Here, we review various roles on miRNA-based stem cell EVs that can induce effective and stable functional improvement of stem cell-derived EVs. In addition, we introduce and review the implications of several miRNA-enriched EV therapies improved by multiplexed targeting in diseases involving the circulatory system and nervous system. This systemic review may offer potential roles for stem cell-derived therapeutics with multiplexed targeting.