Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

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Synopsis:

This textbook was finalized during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. For years prior to the pandemic, clinical trials have shown improvement and cures of pulmonary disorders with the intravenous administration of mesenchymal stem cells. These cells are administered into the venous system, pass through the heart, and then lodge in the capillary network of the lungs where they decrease scar tissue and stimulate the regeneration of new lung tissue. 

The known benefits of cell therapy for pulmonary disease has been the foundation for the use of allogeneic stem cells to effectively treat (and in some cases cure) COVID-19-related lung disorders. Sadly, many of the highly qualified health care professionals caring for these critically ill patients are unfamiliar with the concept of stem cells and regenerative medicine. This unfamiliarity has resulted in patients throughout the world not receiving the benefit of these potentially life-saving treatments.

The goal of this textbook is to provide a basic scientific and clinical multispecialty reference source for stem cells and regenerative medicine to be used as an extension of the American College of Regenerative Medicine.™ Chapters focus on basic science as well as the extravascular applications of regenerative medicine for all hard and soft tissues of the body including musculoskeletal and orthopedics, dental and maxillofacial surgery, and dermatology and plastic surgery. Other topics include plasma products such as PRP and PPP, tissue banking, stem cell expansion, and regulatory guidelines.

It is our hope that this textbook will assist in the following areas:

• Academic institutions will utilize this textbook as a reference source to educate health care professionals of the future, so that regenerative medicine is integrated into the core curriculum and foundation of medical learning. These professionals include medical doctors of all specialties, dentists and maxillofacial surgeons, veterinarians, researchers, nurses, study coordinators, physical therapists, occupational therapists, perfusionists, healthcare and life science attorneys, advocates, administrators, and policy makers.
• Practicing health care professionals who have already finished their training will read this textbook with an open mind and understand more about stem cells and regenerative medicine.
• To provide a foundation of accurate peer-reviewed scientific and clinical information for patient and industry advocates, as well as those involved in formulation of health care policy.

Bios

Robert E. Marx, DDS

Robert E. Marx, DDS, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is well known as an educator, researcher, and innovative surgeon. He has pioneered new concepts and treatments for pathologies of the oral and maxillofacial area as well as new techniques in reconstructive surgery. His many prestigious awards, including the Harry S. Archer Award, the William J. Giles Award, the Paul Bert Award, the Donald B. Osbon Award, and the Daniel Laskin Award, attest to his dedication and commitment to the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. His textbook Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology: A Rationale for Diagnosis and Treatment has also won the American Medical Writers Associations Prestigious Book of the Year Award and his other textbooks, Platelet-Rich Plasma: Dental and Craniofacial Applications, Tissue Engineering, Oral and Intravenous Bisphosphonates Induced Osteonecrosis, and an Atlas of Bone Harvesting have been bestsellers. He is a section editor of Oral and Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and serves as a reviewer to many journals.

Randy B. Miller, MD

Dr. Randy Miller is a board-certified cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon practicing in Miami, Florida.

As one of the nation’s leading innovators in aesthetic surgery of the face, hand, breast and body, and a pioneer of reconstructive surgery and stem cell procedures, Dr. Miller is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Miller is a past president of the Miami Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the Plastic Surgeons Patient Safety Foundation. He served five consecutive terms on the Board of Directors of the Dade County Medical Association and as a delegate to the Florida Medical Association. He is a member and has received residential appointments from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Dr. Miller is a member of the Physician’s Council for theAmerican Association of Tissue Banks. In addition to his role as a clinical professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Miami, Dr. Miller serves as a plastic surgery resident mentor. For many years he has served as the liaison between the University of Miami, Division of Plastic Surgery and the Miami Society of Plastic Surgeons. Based on his research, publications, and 25 years of clinical experience, Dr. Miller has become an internationally recognized expert in the fields of stem cell research and therapy, including human and veterinary tissue regeneration. He is the founder and director of stemcellreference.com, a peer-reviewed internet portal for accurate stem cell information. With his advanced regenerative platform, Dr. Miller provides a uniquely comprehensive approach to aesthetics and age management. In addition to his network of collaborators from Europe, the Americas, India, Australia and the Middle East, Dr. Miller has lectured and performed surgery throughout Asia. He is the ambassador to China for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Along with a group of regenerative medicine experts, Dr. Miller founded the American College of Regenerative Medicine (ACRM). This organization is the world’s first multispecialty interdisciplinary society for the safety and advancement of stem cells and regenerative medicine. ACRM includes physicians of all medical specialties, dentists and maxillofacial surgeons, veterinarians, coordinators and nurses and stem cell team members, basic science researchers, attorneys, and advocates.

Preface

Stem cell science and its clinical applications are at the beginning of human understanding and use. Like our caveman ancestors who first discovered fire, we don’t know how it works, we don’t know how to best use it, and we are very naïve about its actual risks. The media and the public already have high expectations from stem cell scientists and we clinicians who dare to seek a medical benefit from them. They expect us to have them cure all types of cancer, cure immunologic diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and to regenerate whole organs such as livers and kidneys for transplantation and much more. Moreover, they expect it in the next five years . . . yes, that magical time frame of the future where all of today’s challenges will be resolved. Indeed, stem cell science has that great potential and may become a sentinel turning point in medical history akin to Girolamo Fracastoro’s germ theory of infectious disease or Roentgen’s discovery of X-ray images he took of his own hand and then humbly noted “this might be of some use in medical treatment.” Or, it may prove to be a monumental disappointment akin to the purported cancer cures of Krebiozen and Laetrile or the heart attack complications of the painkiller Vioxx.

The chapter writers of this book present what is known today and what has been accomplished today. They, and we editors, understand that while this book is the first to put forth the few clinical applications and the complex science of stem cells, we realize our understanding and use is embryonic and incomplete at best. However, each chapter writer will show what they have accomplished, what they know, and what is possible. This book will cover many scientific disciplines and several clinical specialties intertwined into the jargon of today as either cellular therapy, regenerative medicine, or tissue engineering and even others. It is hoped that this book will be a reference for researchers and for clinicians alike, but more importantly a stimulation and encouragement for others to join in this journey to go where mankind has truly not gone before.

Specifications