THERAPY WITH CULTURED CELLS

by Howard Green (Harvard Medical School, USA)

The author described in this book the discoveries in his laboratory that led to therapy with cultured cells. The first cultured cell type used for therapy was the keratinocyte of the epidermis, for the treatment of burns. Subsequent developments led to the use of cultured cells for the treatment of diseases of the eye, of the joints and for other diseases. Cultured cells for therapy are now being prepared by industries in the US, Japan and Korea and are used in the aforesaid countries as well as France, Sweden and Greece, for the treatment of disease.

In addition to keratinocytes, therapeutic use has been made of many cultured cell types, such as ocular limbal cells, chondrocytes and melanocytes. In addition to these cell types, which must be autologous, use has also been made of allogeneic keratinocytes to promote healing.

Published by Pan Stanford Publishing and distributed exclusively by World Scientific in Asia Pacific, except for India and Japan.

"Therapy with Cultured Cells beautifully captures one of the triumphs of modern translational research while hinting at the regulatory constraints that have tragically limited the impact of this powerful technology on a multitude of human injuries and diseases. Written in an easy conversational style by the man who created this field and led it for more than a quarter century, this monograph provides a unique perspective on the development of cultured autografts and allografts for treatment of extensive burns, non-healing ulcers, corneal scarring, and many other disorders. Ever understated, Howard Green glides over his many seminal contributions to basic science to memorialize his efforts to realize the potential of his discoveries for mankind and for individual patients. Nowhere else in his extensive bibliography is Green's motivation as a physician so keenly felt. In no other publication can one so readily appreciate the impact of this physician-scientist, multiplied many fold through scores of his talented trainees who have been inspired by Green's example. My one disappointment in this extraordinary account is that Green has chosen not to call out the misguided bureaucrats who have unreasonably curtailed cultured cell therapy for unmet medical needs. To a man who both elucidated basic controls of cell growth and surmounted the numerous conceptual and practical barriers to clinical application of his discoveries, perhaps it is simply too painful to discuss."

"This book contains a personal account of the development of Therapy with Cultured Cells by the founder of the field. He describes the first application which he developed for the treatment of burn patients. This methodology was then applied by others, to the treatment of eye diseases and the restoration of vision after chemical burns. Later, other cultured cell types, such as cartilage cells were introduced for human therapy. These applications are all current in many parts of the world. A must read for all cell biology students."

"This book provides a fascinating story about the onset of regenerative medicine by means of cultured cells. It is a clear example of the work of an extraordinary capacity of an enlightened scientist, to turn an unexpected observation into a masterwork. His discovery has led to multiple clinical applications of epithelial stem cells in cell and gene therapy and has a strong impact on life and health of many patients and inspired many scientists in the entire field of regenerative medicine. All that described with a consistent thinking and plain writing, which are usually associated to truly important scientific advances. It will be a reference for both scientists and students interested in cell biology and translational medicine."

Contents:

• The Early History of Cell Culture
• The Beginnings of Keratinocyte Cultivation
• The Treatment of Burns
• Defining the Stem Cell Character of Keratinocytes
• Treatment with Allogeneic Cultured Keratinocytes
• Treatment of Ocular Disease
• Gene Therapy
• Therapy with Cultured Chondrocytes
• The Promise of Therapy with Embryonic Stem Cells

Readership: Academic, physicians, scientists, surgeons and biologists.

96pp		Scheduled Spring 2010
978-981-4267-70-0		US$79