Contents -- Contributors -- Foreword Sydney Brenner -- Foreword Philip Yeo -- Chapter 1 Stem Cells: Their Definition, Classification and Sources Ariff Bongso and Eng Hin Lee -- Introduction -- Definition of Stem Cells -- Classification and Sources of Stem Cells -- Embryonic stem cells -- Embryonic germ cells -- Fetal stem cells -- Umbilical cord stem cells -- Adult stem cells -- Hematopoietic stem cells (bone marrow and peripheral blood) -- Mesenchymal stem cells (bone marrow stroma) -- Gut stem cells -- Liver stem cells -- Bone and cartilage stem cells -- Epidermal stem cells (skin and hair) -- Neuronal stem cells -- Pancreatic stem cells -- Eye stem cells -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 2 From Human Embryos to Clinically Compliant Embryonic Stem Cells: Blastocyst Culture, Xeno-free Derivation and Cryopreservation, Properties and Applications of Embryonic Stem Cells Ariff Bongso, Mark Richards and Chui-Yee Fong -- Introduction -- Blastocyst Culture -- Research Grade hESC Lines from Surplus IVF Embryos -- Derivation and propagation -- "Cut and paste" method (mechanical transfer) -- "Bulk culture" method (enzymatic transfer) -- Research Grade hESC Lines from Cloned Embryos -- Clinical Grade hESC Lines for Research and Application -- Xeno-free Cryopreservation of hESCs -- Nature and Properties of hESCs -- Phenotype and behavior -- Stability in extended culture: karyotypic changes -- hESC gene expression and stem cell signature -- Strategies for differentiation -- Bona Fide hESC Lines -- Clinical Application of hESCs -- Hurdles to Overcome in the Development of Cell-based Therapies from hESCs -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 3 Characterization of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Maryam M Matin, Ahmad Bahrami, Duncan Liew and Peter W. Andrews -- Introduction -- Human Embryonal Carcinoma Cells (hECCs) -- Pluripotent Human ECC and ESC Lines.

Surface Antigen Markers of hECCs and hESCs -- Pluripotent marker genes of hECCs and hESCs -- Future Prospects -- Acknowledgements -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 4 Stem Cells and Their Developmental Potential Martin F. Pera and Mirella Dottori -- Introduction -- Definition of Terms -- Developmental Potential of the Cells of the Early Embryo -- Commitment and pluripotentiality -- Primordial germ cells -- Embryonic stem cells -- Molecular control of pluripotency -- Multipotent Tissue Stem Cells -- Stem Cells in the Bone Marrow -- Plasticity of cells from bone marrow -- Stem Cells within the Nervous System -- Plasticity of NSCs -- Reprogramming of the Adult Cell Epigenome -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 5 Transcriptome Profiling of Embryonic Stem Cells Mahendra Rao and Bing Lim -- Introduction -- The Transcriptome and Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells -- ES and other Pluripotent Stem Cells -- Methods of Global Analysis -- Microarray analysis -- EST scan -- SAGE and double SAGE -- Massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS) -- Illumina bead technology -- Relative Strengths and Weaknesses of the Various Methods -- Other Large Scale Analytical Methods -- Proteomic analysis -- Comparison Across Datasets -- ES specific genes and genes of metabolic pathways -- Species variation -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 6 Culture, Subcloning, Spontaneous and Controlled Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Michal Amit, Sharon Gerecht-Nir and Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor -- Introduction -- Derivation of hESC Lines -- Immunosurgical isolation -- Mechanical isolation -- Plating intact embryos in whole -- Maintenance of hESCs -- Subcloning of hESCs -- Spontaneous Differentiation of hESCs -- Teratomas -- Embryoid bodies (EBs) -- Formation and growth -- Lineage differentiation -- Controlled Differentiation -- Regulating differentiation via hEBs.

Directed differentiation via 2-D cultures -- Acknowledgments -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 7 Differentiation In Vivo and In Vitro of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Barak Blum and Nissim Benvenisty -- Introduction -- In Vivo Differentiation Of HESC -- Spontaneous differentiation of HESCs in vivo -- Directed differentiation of HESCs in vivo -- In Vitro Differentiation of HESC -- Spontaneous differentiation of HESCs in vitro -- Directed differentiation of HESCs in vitro -- Neurons and glia -- Bone -- Cardiomyocytes -- Endothelial cells -- Blood cells -- Liver cells -- Pancreatic -cells -- Extra-embryonic tissues -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgment -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 8 Feeder-free Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Scott A. Noggle, Noboru Sato and Ali H. Brivanlou -- Introduction -- Feeder-free hESC Culture System -- hESC cell lines -- Substrate requirements -- Application of GSK-3 inhibitors -- Passaging conditions -- hESC Behavior in Feeder-free Culture -- Maintenance of the undifferentiated state -- Time-lapse microscopy of hESCs -- Conclusions -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 9 Epigenesis in Pluripotent Cells Lisa M. Hoffman, Jennifer Batten and Melissa K. Carpenter -- Introduction -- Genomic Imprinting -- Loss of Imprinting -- Imprinting in Mouse Development -- Imprinting in Mouse Pluripotent Cells -- Imprinting in Human Development -- Imprinting in Human Pluripotent Cells -- X-inactivation -- Aberrant X-inactivation -- X-inactivation in Mouse Development -- X-inactivation in Pluripotent Mouse Cells -- X-inactivation in Human Development -- X-inactivation in Human Pluripotent Cells -- Summary -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 10 Stem Cells and Translational Medicine Ethics, Law, and Policy Justine Burley -- Introduction -- The Relative Merits of Adult and ES Cells -- Why Conduct Research on Adult and ES Cells in Tandem?.

The Provenance of Stem Cells: Does Source Matter? -- The Moral Status of the Embryo, and Conceptions of the Sacred -- Resolving Disputes About the Sacred -- Ethical Implications of National Policies Governing ES Cell Research for Science and the Scientist -- Implications of Current Law for Science and the Scientist -- The Injustice of Anti-ES Cell Research Policies -- Clinical Applications of Novel Adult Stem-Cell Derived Therapy -- Conclusion -- NOTES -- Chapter 11 Therapeutic Cloning: Derivation and Propagation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Woo Suk Hwang, Byeong Chun Lee, Sung Keun Kang, Shin Yong Moon and Jose B. Cibelli -- Introduction -- Generation of hESC Lines from Human Somatic Cells -- Egg activation -- Culture medium -- Detailed Protocol -- 1. Oocyte collection and transportation -- 2. SCNT and embryo culture -- 3. Isolation of inner cell masses (ICM) and maintenance of a cloned ES cell line -- 4. SCNT-hES-1 freezing and thawing -- 5. Expression of cell surface markers -- 6. Formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) and immunohistochemical staining -- 7. Formation of teratomas and H & E staining -- 8. DNA fingerprinting assay -- 9. Analysis of imprinted genes -- Stock Solutions and Culture Medium -- Fusion buffer -- Modified synthetic oviductal fluid with amino acids (mSOFaa) -- mSOFaa culture medium -- 2mM 6-DMAP -- ES cell culture medium -- Vitrification solutions -- Thawing solutions -- Discussion -- Future Challenges -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 12 Hurdles to Improving the Efficiency of Therapeutic Cloning Christopher S. Navara, Calvin Simerly, Sang-Hwan Hyun, and Gerald Schatten -- Introduction -- Reproductive cloning -- Therapeutic cloning -- Inefficiencies of Cloning -- Reprogramming errors -- Microtubule and mitotic spindle defects in clones -- Acknowledgements -- REFERENCES.

Chapter 13 Hematopoietic Stem Cells: Basic Science to Clinical Applications Daniel L. Kraft and Irving L.Weissman -- Introduction -- Biology of Hematopoietic Stem Cells -- Definition and isolation of hematopoietic stem cells -- Hematopoietic progenitor cells -- Defining and Isolating the Human HSC -- In vitro models -- In vivo models -- Isolation of human hematopoietic stem cells -- Hematopoietic stem cell migration -- Human early lineage committed progenitors -- Clinical Use of Hematopoietic Stem Cells -- Autologous transplantation -- Allogeneic transplantation -- Indications for HCT -- Nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplantation -- Sources of HSCs -- Enrichment and graft engineering technologies -- Rationale and clinical experience with purified HSCs -- Expanding Applications for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation -- Clinical utility of hematopoietic progenitors -- Future Directions for HSC Transplantation -- Other HSC mediated regenerative therapies, and the question of HSC plasticity -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 14 Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Leukemias and other Life Threatening Hematological Disorders Patrick Tan -- Introduction -- Indications -- Sources of Stem Cells -- A. The Non-malignant Disorders -- Restorative therapy -- B. Leukemias and Other Hematological Malignancies -- (a) Immunotherapy -- (b) Adoptive immunotherapy -- Evolvement into Two Forms as an Anti-Tumor Therapy -- A. Hematopoietic stem cell rescue -- B. The non-myeloablative approach: cellular therapy -- (1) The Trojan horse and the army -- (2) The non-myeloablative HSCT and the targeted cell therapy -- The Future -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 15 Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Cardiomyocytes Chris Denning, Robert Passier and Christine Mummery -- Introduction -- Development of the Mammalian Heart -- Differentiation and early morphogenesis.

Molecular control of cardiac development.