Handbook of Stem Cells: Embryonic Stem Cells, Vol. 1 - Hardcover

R.P. Lanza

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0124366422 ISBN 13: 9780124366428

Publisher: Elsevier Academic, 2004

Synopsis

New discoveries in the field of stem cell research have frequently appeared in the news and in scientific literature. Research in this area promises to lead to new therapies for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a wide variety of other diseases.

This two-volume reference integrates this exciting area of biology, combining the prerequisites for a general understanding of adult and embryonic stem cells, the tools, methods, and experimental protocols needed to study and characterize stem cells and progenitor populations, as well as a presentation by the world's experts of what is currently known about each specific organ system.

The editors of the Handbook of Stem Cells include: Robert Lanza, Helen Blau, John Gearhart, Brigid Hogan, Douglas Melton, Malcolm Moore, Roger Pedersen, E. Donnall Thomas, James Thomson, Catherine Verfaillie, Irving Weissman, and Michael West. The Editorial Board includes: W. French Anderson, Peter Andrews, Anthony Atala, Jose Cibelli, Giulio Cossu, Robert Edwards, Martin Evans, Elaine Fuchs, Margaret Fuller, Fred Gage, Richard Gardner, Margaret Goodell, Ronald Green, William Haseltine, Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor, Rudolf Jaenisch, Ihor Lemischka, Dame Anne McLaren, Richard Mulligan, Stuart Orkin, Martin Pera, Benjamin Reubinoff, Janet Rossant, Hans Scholer, Austin Smith, Evan Snyder, Davor Solter, Alan Trounson, and Leonard Zon.

This comprehensive set should be a much-needed addition to the library of students and researchers alike.

* Provides comprehensive coverage on this highly topical subject
* Contains contributions by the foremost authorities and premiere names in the field of stem cell research
* The accompanying CD-ROM includes over 250 color figures

About this title

Book Description:

A complete overview of the field of stem cells, providing the background, toolos, methods and experimental protocols needed for further research.

From the Publisher:

A strong root for stem cells Handbook on Stem Cells, Volumes 1 and 2 Edited by Robert Lanza Elsevier Inc. · 2004 $449.95/£299.95

Steve Goldman Steve Goldman is in the Department of Neurology, Division of Cell and Gene Therapy, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue/MRBX, Box 645, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. e-mail: Steven_Goldman@urmc.rochester.edu

The definition of a stem cell — like that of beauty — lies in the eyes of the beholder. Do stem cells strictly refer to embryonic stem cells and primordial germ cells — the pluripotent and self-renewing derivatives of blastocysts and embryonic gonads? Or should we include the multipotent but tissue-specified precursors of fetal organogenesis? Certainly the rare pluripotent cells of adult organs should be included, if they exist. But what about the organ-delimited multipotent progenitors of adult tissues? Are they too stem cells? What criteria do we use to make these claims, and what is the biological significance of the distinctions between these phenotypes?

The Handbook of Stem Cells, edited by Robert Lanza and colleagues, is an ambitious new text that achieves extraordinary completeness and inclusiveness among these different claimants to the stem cell mantle. The two-volume handbook takes an expansive approach to organizing contemporary knowledge in stem cell biology. That it generally does so effectively and fluidly is a testament to its exceedingly strong roster of editors. Because it has been compiled by many authors, the handbook does occasionally wander in its focus; but with 13 listed editors, an editorial board of 29, and a cast of 330 authors, its organizational challenges were no doubt formidable. Nonetheless, the editors have succeeded in putting together a reference that is broad enough in scope, but sufficiently detailed and rigorous, to be of real interest to both new and seasoned investigators in the field.

Both volumes are organized as distinct compendiums, with each structured to mirror the categories covered by the other. Each volume is thus ordered into sections comprising basic stem cell biology, early development, the specific derivatives of the three germinal layers, methods, applications and regulations. This parallel structure allows each volume to stand alone, although at the expense of some redundancy between them. This is especially apparent in the sections on basic biological mechanisms, which suffer frequent inter-volume overlap. However, these are also among the most well written and exciting chapters in both volumes. Indeed, had these chapters been combined and integrated, they would alone have presented a formidable handbook on stem cell biology.

The first volume covers embryonic stem cell biology, and is the more uniform of the two. It comprises a consistent and extraordinarily strong group of authors, a well organized framework and often superb expository writing. Many fundamentally difficult issues in basic stem cell biology — such as the basis for pluripotency, chromatin modification, developmental transcriptional regulation and epigenetic reprogramming — are presented with both clarity and insight. Subsequent chapters on ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal embryonic stem cell derivates are presented in a logical sequence such that observations in one system inform those made in others. The methods section, although less thematically organized than other sections, is full of broad insight into what is possible; these chapters will prove valuable not only to new stem cell biologists, but also to experienced investigators who wish to learn about the methodologies in related fields.

The second volume covers both adult and fetal tissue-derived stem and progenitor cell biology. As the more topical of the two volumes, it is often the less cohesive. For instance, the otherwise interesting chapter on stem cell maintenance in plants appears in the methods section of volume two, when it might have been better integrated into the basic biology section; as the sole chapter on plants, it seems quite lonely where it appears. Volume two is also less consistent in quality then volume one. Its choice of authors is often curious, and some of the phenotype-specific discussions in this volume are too narrow to do justice to their fields. Nonetheless, most of the authors are superbly qualified and present broadly considered and compelling discussions of their topics.

Aside from its substantive discussion of the biology of stem cells and their derivatives, each volume covers the ethical implications of stem cell generation and use, and the regulatory environment and governmental policies thereof. Volume one even adds two chapters on patient perspectives, written by two hardly typical patients: Mary Tyler Moore and Christopher Reeve. Although the specific ethical, religious and patient perspectives discussed may be somewhat limited, the editor’s decision to include these chapters is indeed wise; these days, public policy needs to be part of the education of any stem cell scientist. Stem cell scientists who ignore the ethical considerations and political ramifications of their work do so not only at their own peril, but to our common detriment. In providing this treatise, which covers the history, biology, methods and applications of stem cells, the editors and authors have succeeded in establishing a conceptual framework and a common language for the field. In so doing, they have ensured that this two-volume set will serve as a benchmark reference in stem cell biology for years to come.

Side Quote: ...this two-volume set will serve as a benchmark reference in stem cell biology for years to come.

NATURE CELL BIOLOGY VOLUME 7 | NUMBER 4 | APRIL 2005 341 © 2005 Nature Publishing Group

About this edition

• Publisher: Elsevier Academic
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0124366422
• ISBN 13: 9780124366428
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 872