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'Human neural stem cells' jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research, is the first guideline for human neural stem cells (hNSCs) in China. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, test regulations, instructions for use, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements, transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for hNSCs, which is applicable to the quality control for hNSCs. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 30 August 2022. We hope that publication of the guideline will facilitate institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of hNSCs for clinical development and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human midbrain dopaminergic progenitors (mDAPs) are one of the most representative cell types in both basic research and clinical applications. However, there are still many challenges for the preparation and quality control of mDAPs, such as the lack of standards. Therefore, the establishment of critical quality attributes and technical specifications for mDAPs is largely needed. "Human midbrain dopaminergic progenitor" jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research, is the first guideline for human mDAPs in China. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, inspection rules, instructions for usage, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements, transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for human mDAPs, which is applicable to the quality control for human mDAPs. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 30 August 2022. We hope that the publication of this guideline will facilitate the institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of human mDAPs for clinical development and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although traditional therapies, including drugs and surgery, cannot repair the damaged myocardial tissue, the mortality rate of myocardial infarction remains high. Stem cells provide the possibility to solve this problem due to their self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation potential. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the research progress of stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction in recent ten years by bibliometric analysis. METHODS: The related articles on stem cells and myocardial infarction published in SCI-E and SSCI from January 1, 2012 to December 1, 2022 in the Web of Science database were searched. EXCEL, CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were used to make statistical and visualization analyses of the data such as the number of publications, authors, institutions, journals, countries and keywords. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 3 210 core articles were published, and the total number increased year by year. hausenloy,derek j. is the author with the largest number of publications, China is the country with the largest number of publications, and the Fourth Military Medical University is the institution with the largest number of publications. The research hotspots in this field are changing from cell experiments and animal experiments to clinical trials. In the past ten years, research in this field has been highly popular and still has great development prospects. It is necessary to promote international and interagency exchange and learning, and further explore the role of stem cells in the treatment of myocardial infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'General requirements for the production of extracellular vesicles derived from human stem cells' is the first guideline for stem cells derived extracellular vesicles in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the general requirements, process requirements, packaging and labelling requirements and storage requirements for preparing extracellular vesicles derived from human stem cells, which is applicable to the research and production of extracellular vesicles derived from stem cells. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 30 August 2022. We hope that the publication of this guideline will promote institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardisation of extracellular vesicles derived from human stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the literature on stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury to gain an intuitive understanding of how the field is progressing, discover topics of interest, and determine what development trends are emerging in this field. Background: Spinal cord injury and its complications often cause an enormous economic burden, and postinjury repair and treatment have always been challenging in clinical and scientific research. Stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury can prevent immune rejection and induce the release of neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory factors to reduce the production of stress-related proteins, reactive oxygen species, and inflammatory reactions. Methods: We analyzed the number and quality of publications in the field of stem cell therapy in spinal cord injury between 2018.01.01 and 2023.06.30 in the core collection database of Web of Science. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to sort and summarize these studies by country, institution, authors' publications, and collaborative networks. In addition, the research topics of interest were identified and summarized. Results: This study ultimately included 2,150 valid papers, with the number of publications showing a gradual upward trend. The country, institution, author and journal with the greatest number of publications and citations are China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dai JW, and the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, respectively. The top three high-frequency keyword clusters were hereditary paraplegia, reactive astrocytes and tissue engineering. Conclusion: With the help of visual analysis, we identified general trends and research topics of interest in the field of spinal cord injury over the last 5 years. Our findings suggest that stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury and exosome therapy may be a focus of future research. This study provides a foundation for future research on stem cell therapy as well as clinical efforts in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can lead to joint deformity and loss of function. Recent studies have shown great progress in the research of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in RA. However, thus far, there have been no bibliometric or visualization analyses in this field. This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the general information and research hotspots of MSCs and RA. Methods: Articles relevant to MSCs and RA, published between 2012 and 2021, were searched using the Web of Science Core Collection database. Irrelevant publications were excluded from the analysis. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were conducted using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica. Results: A total of 577 articles were analyzed. The annual number of publications increased from 2012 to 2017 and plateaued from 2017 to 2021. China and the USA had the largest number of publications. Collaboration among different organizations mainly occurs between institutes of the same country. Stem Cell Research and Therapy and Frontiers in Immunology were the most popular journals in this field. All the top 20 co-cited authors had a positive co-citation relationship. The top references indicate that MSCs can contribute to RA research and treatment mainly via immunomodulation. From 2012 to 2021, "collagen-induced arthritis," "immunomodulation," and "therapy" were some of the keywords associated with MSCs and RA, while "extracellular vesicles" showed a strong keyword burst from 2019 to 2021. Conclusion: MSCs and RA have been widely studied in different countries and institutions and by different authors over the last ten years. China and the USA had the largest number of publications. Different types of journals provide admirable sources for researchers. Some keywords, including immunomodulation and extracellular vesicles, may be hot spots in the near future. There will be more basic research and clinical translation of MSCs and RA, and substantial new treatments for RA will soon be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain (LBP) is a common clinical symptom, and the prevalence is ranged from 60% to 70%. With the deepening of basic research, the development of intervertebral disc regeneration-oriented cell therapy, especially stem and progenitor cells therapy, showed good research prospects and was expected to become new methods of treatment for LBP. Our study is aimed at analyzing the scientific output of stem and progenitor cells in intervertebral discs and at driving future research into new publications. Researches focused on this file were searched from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) of the Web of Science (WOS) core collection database and were screened according to inclusion criteria. We evaluated and visualized the results, including annual publications, citations, authors, organizations, countries, research directions, funds, and journals by bibliometric website, VOSviewer, and Citespace softwares on May 27, 2022. A total of 450 original articles and reviews were included, and the overall trend of the number of publications rapidly increased. In worldwide, China and the USA were the leading countries for research production. The retrieved 450 publications received 14322 citations, with an average of 31.83 citations and an H-index of 62. The most high-yield author, organization, country, research directions, funds, and journals were Chen QX from Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, China, Cell Biology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Spine, respectively. Keywords cluster analysis showed the research hotspots in the future, including "human intervertebral disc", "adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell", "intervertebral disc degeneration", "degenerative disc model", "nucleus pulposus regeneration", "human cartilage", "3d culture", "shrinkage-free preparation", and "polylactide disc". Furthermore, with accumulating evidence demonstrating the role of stem and progenitor cells in intervertebral discs, "microenvironment", "activation", "intervertebral disc degeneration", and "oxidative stress" are becoming the research frontiers and trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical researches of stem cell‐based therapies are highly active in China, while it was arduous to determine the most effective way of clinical translation of those advanced therapies. Methods: This article briefly introduced the regulatory framework development, the progress in stem cell clinical researches and clinical trials of commercially developed stem cell‐based products, as well as the clinical review concerns of stem cell‐based products in China. Main findings: The current regulatory framework of stem cell clinical researches in China was launched in 2015, when regulatory authorities issued "Administrative Measures on Stem Cell Clinical Research" (AMSCCR) detailing the rules of stem cell clinical research. Thereafter, the rapidly growing stem cell clinical researches were rigorously managed and clinical use of stem cell therapy was halted. Meanwhile, commercially developed stem cell‐based products are supervised by Drug Administration Law (DAL). Conclusion: The regulatory framework of stem cell‐based therapy in China has progressed in the last few decades, which is currently regulated according to AMSCCR and DAL. Well‐designed and patient‐focused clinical trial is required for commercially developed stem cell‐based products, and definite clinical benefit evidence is crucial to obtain marketing authorization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, significant progress has been made internationally in the development of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)‐derived products for serious and widespread disorders. Biobanking of the cellular starting materials is a crucial component in the delivery of safe and regulatory compliant cell therapies. In China, key players in these developments have been the recently launched National Stem Cell Resource Center (NSCRC) and its partner organizations in Guangzhou and Shanghai who together, have more than 600 hPSC lines formally recorded in the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology's stem cell registry. In addition, 47 of these hPSCs have also been registered with the hPSCreg project which means they are independently certified for use in European Commission funded research projects. The NSCRC are currently using their own cell lines to manufacture eight different cell types qualified for clinical use, that are being used in nine clinical studies for different indications. The Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOZ‐CAS) has worked with NSCRC to establish Chinese and international standards in stem cell research. IOZ‐CAS was also a founding partner in the International Stem Cell Banking Initiative which brings together key stem cell banks to agree minimum standards for the provision of pluripotent stem cells for research and clinical use. Here, we describe recent developments in China in the establishment of hPSCs for use in the manufacture of cell therapies and the significant national and international coordination which has now been established to promote the translation of Chinese hPSC‐based products into clinical use according to national and international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: As a common disease of the motor system, bone defect is of great significance to be treated by effective means. However, there is still a lack of literature review on the treatment of bone defect by bibliometrics in China. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the literature on the treatment of bone defect published in recent 10 years and to explore the research status, hotspots, and trends in this field, and to provide opinions and suggestions for its future development. METHODS: Using Web of Science Core Collection database as the data source and the application of bibliometrics, CiteSpace V software was used to draw the knowledge map and conduct cluster analysis of the annual trends, the distribution of nations, the distribution of research institution, the distribution of authors and the key words in the field of bone defect treatment from 2011 to 2020. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 1 743 valid articles were selected. (1) The volume of publications shows a steady rise from 2011 to 2020 in general. In terms of scientific research funds, the National Natural Science Foundation of China funded the most projects (23.81%). (2) China and Shanghai Jiao Tong University are the country and research institution with the most publications in this field respectively. USA and Chinese Academy of Sciences play the role of academic hub with the strongest centrality. (3) A total of 476 authors were included. Lei Zhang, Changsheng Liu, and Ana Claudia Muniz Renno were the most prolific researchers, but the core authors did not form a close cooperative relationship. (4) Biomaterials is the journal with the largest number of articles, and has an authoritative position in the field of biological materials. (5) Repair, regeneration, in vitro, scaffold, and mesenchymal stem cell are the research hotspots in this field. (6) Time zone analysis showed that the previous research strategies were mainly for inducing differentiation and promoting regeneration of bone defects. Since 2015, nanoparticles, hydrogels and other materials are gradually widely used in the treatment of bone defects with the help of 3D printing technology. In recent years, researchers hope to explore the mechanism of bone defect treatment at the level of signaling pathway, and hope to use new composite scaffolds combined with drug/growth factor controlled release technology to achieve better therapeutic effect. (7) The future development directions of bone defect treatment are as follows: Continue to prepare new nano-composite scaffolds with good mechanical properties by using 3D printing and other technologies; preparation of double/multiple controlled release drug and/or growth factor stents; repair large bone defects, especially those caused by cancer, while inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress and other reactions; to explore the mechanism of various growth factors in bone defect repair at the signaling pathway level; basic and clinical research on osteoporosis treatment drugs. It is concluded that bone defect treatment has been paid more and more attention in recent ten years. China has played an important role in this field. The results of this study provide a new perspective for the future research in this field, and play an enlightening role for domestic researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Requirements for human cardiomyocytes', jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research, is the first guideline for human cardiomyocytes in China. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, test regulations, instructions for use, labelling requirements, packing requirements, storage requirements, transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for human cardiomyocytes, which is designed to normalize and standardize human cardiomyocyte research and production. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 9 January 2021. We hope that the publication of this guideline will promote institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of human cardiomyocytes for applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted great interest for cell therapy and tissue regeneration due to their self‐renewal capacity, multipotency and potent immunomodulatory effects on immune cells. However, heterogeneity of MSCs has become a prominent obstacle to limit their translation into practice, as cells from different tissue sources or each individual have great differences in their transcriptomic signatures, differentiation potential and biological functions. Therefore, there is an urgent need for consensus standard for the quality control and technical specifications of MSCs. 'Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells' is the latest set of guidelines on hMSC in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, test regulations, instructions for use, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements, transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for hMSC, which is applicable to the quality control for hMSC. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 9 January 2021. We hope that publication of these guidelines will facilitate institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of hMSC for clinical development and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Requirements for human haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells' is the first set of guidelines on human haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the technical requirements, inspection methods, inspection rules, instructions for usage, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements and transportation requirements for human haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, which is applicable to the quality control for human haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. We hope that publication of these guidelines will promote institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of human haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells for applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Requirements for Human‐Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells' is the first set of guidelines on human‐induced pluripotent stem cells in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, and instructions for use, labeling, packaging, storage, transportation, and waste handling for human‐induced pluripotent stem cells, which apply to the production and quality control of human‐induced pluripotent stem cells. It was released by the Chinese Society for Cell Biology on 9 January 2021 and came into effect on 9 April 2021. We hope that the publication of these guidelines will promote institutional establishment, acceptance, and execution of proper protocols and accelerate the international standardization of human‐induced pluripotent stem cells for applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Human retinal pigment epithelial cells' is the first set of guidelines on human retinal pigment epithelial cells in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies technical requirements, test methods, inspection rules, instructions for usage, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements and transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for human retinal pigment epithelial cells, which is applicable to quality control during the process of manufacturing and testing of human retinal pigment epithelial cells. It was originally released by the Chinese Society for Cell Biology on 9 January 2021. We hope that publication of these guidelines will promote institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols and accelerate the international standardization of human retinal pigment epithelial cells for applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Requirements for Primary Human Hepatocyte' is the first set of guidelines on Primary Human Hepatocyte in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, test regulations, instructions for use, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements and transportation requirements for Primary Human Hepatocyte, which is applicable to the quality control for Primary Human Hepatocyte. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 9 January 2021. We hope that publication of these guidelines will promote institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols and accelerate the international standardization of Primary Human Hepatocyte for applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Stress urinary incontinence is one of the most common diseases of the lower urinary tract. Current treatment methods can only relieve symptoms, but cannot completely cure them. Regenerative medicine based on stem cells realizes the use of autologous cells, and its purpose is to treat the cause of urinary incontinence. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the application of various types of stem cells in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence in and outside China in recent years. METHODS: Computer search of the CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and PubMed databases from 2005 to 2020 was conducted. The search terms were “stem cells, stress urinary incontinence” in Chinese and English. Articles related to stem cells in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence were selected. The application of various types of stem cells in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence was summarized, organized, and discussed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In all the studies on stem cell treatment of stress urinary incontinence, muscle derived stem cells and adipose derived stem cells are most used. They can support the regeneration of target tissues related to stress urinary incontinence patients. The main purpose is to restore its original function by treating the dysfunctional sphincter. Most studies have shown that stem cells have great potential in treating stress urinary incontinence. It is hoped that more basic research on stem cell treatment of stress urinary incontinence can be transformed into clinical applications, making stress urinary incontinence a disease that can be cured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades, China has greatly expanded its scope of stem cell research, generating various scientific advances and medical applications. However, knowledge of the extent and characteristics of domestic stem cell development, particularly medical workers' opinions, is lacking. This study's purposes were to analyze the growth trends of China's stem cell community and identify the knowledge and attitudes held by Chinese medical workers regarding stem cell research. We found that there are currently 13 high-quality stem cell research centers with more than 400 PhD-level researchers across Mainland China. These centers feature many high-caliber scientists from the stem cell research community. From 1997 through 2019, the National Natural Science Foundation of China allocated roughly $576 million to 8,050 stem cell programs at Chinese universities and research institutions. China's annual publications on stem cells increased from less than 0.6% of the world's total stem cell publications in 1999 to more than 14.1% in 2014. Our survey also revealed that most participants held positive attitudes toward stem cell research, supported further funding, and had high general awareness about stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exosomes and other secretory membrane vesicles are collectively referred to as extracellular vesicles (EVs). Relevant data indicate that stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (SC-EVs) play a critical role in angiogenesis by transmitting crucial information such as proteins, second messengers, and genetic material between cells. Therefore, this study aimed to map current trends on SC-EVs for angiogenesis and provide directions for future research to advance this important field., Methods: We conducted a thorough search for relevant studies on SC-EVs for angiogenesis from 2003 to 2023 using the Web of Science database. Subsequently, we used VOSviewer and CiteSpace to analyze the collected data., Results: A total of 2359 relevant publications, which included original articles and reviews, related to the role of SC-EVs in angiogenesis were screened in this study based on the search strategy. China and the United States were leading in this field, with China having a higher output in terms of publications and citations (1172, 43681). Also, the top five universities were located in China, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University having the highest output. Stem Cell Research & Therapy and International Journal of Molecular Sciences, are prominent platforms for researchers in this field to share their findings and advancements, and they had most of published studies on SC-EVs for angiogenesis. The results derived from the cluster analysis suggested that future investigations should predominantly prioritize studying the involvement of SC-EVs in angiogenesis across various diseases, with a specific emphasis on skin wound healing., Conclusion: In this comprehensive review, global trends in SC-EVs for angiogenesis were analyzed. The analysis of journals, institutions, references, and keywords could assist researchers in deciding on the direction of research. The role of SC-EVs in promoting angiogenesis during wound healing and repair represents an emerging research focus., (© 2024 The Authors. Skin Research and Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, in addition to the pandemic itself, a phenomenon called an 'infodemic'—defined by the World Health Organization as the spread of misleading information on the pandemic—has also gained attention. In the field of stem cell research, researchers and regulators have been fighting against false and misleading information, particularly advertisements for unproven and unauthorized stem cell–based interventions for decades. However, how existing legal and regulatory measures, which vary by country, can be employed to combat such false information is unclear. In this article, we examine the situation in China, where the spread of unauthorized stem cell 'therapies' has drawn patients from not only within China but also from abroad. First, we assess how and to what extent online advertisements promote unproven and unauthorized stem cell–based interventions directly to patients and prospective health consumers in China. Next, we survey the landscape for existing regulatory and administrative measures that may be used to combat false and misleading advertisements in this area. Finally, based on our analysis, we provide three main recommendations that may improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the regulatory measures in curtailing illegitimate advertising of unproven and unauthorized stem cell–based interventions in China. In conclusion, we also call for international collaboration among researchers and regulators in studying and strengthening regulations in this critical area that has so far been neglected in scholarly and policy discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard 'General requirements for stem cells' is the first set of general guidelines for stem cell research and production in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the classification, ethical requirements, quality requirements, quality control requirements, detection control requirements and waste disposal requirements of stem cells, which is applicable to stem cell research and production. It was firstly released by the Chinese Society for Cell Biology on 1 August 2017 and was further revised on 30 April 2020. We hope that publication of these guidelines will promote institutional establishment, acceptance, and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of stem cells for clinical development and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Requirements for Human Embryonic Stem Cells' is the first set of guidelines on human embryonic stem cells in China, jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, test regulations, instructions for use, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements and transportation requirements for human embryonic stem cells, which is applicable to the quality control for human embryonic stem cells. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 26 February 2019 and was further revised on 30 April 2020. We hope that publication of these guidelines will promote institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of human embryonic stem cells for applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its eruption in China, novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has been reported in most of the countries and territories (>200) of the world with ∼18 million confirmed cases (as of August 3, 2020). In most of the countries, COVID‐19 upsurge is uncontrolled with a significant mortality rate. Currently, no treatment effective for COVID‐19 is available in the form of vaccines or antiviral drugs and patients are currently treated symptomatically. Although the majority of the patients develop mild symptoms and recover without mechanical ventilation for respiratory management, severe respiratory illness develops in a significant portion of affected patients and may result in death. While the scientific community is working to develop vaccines and drugs against the COVID‐19 pandemic, novel alternative therapies may reduce the mortality rate. Recent use of stem cells for critically ill COVID‐19 patients in a small group of patients in China and subsequent Emergency Use Authorization of stem cells by Food and Drug Administration to Global Institute of Stem Cell Therapy and Research and Athersys has created excitement among the medical community. As a result, several clinical trials have been registered using stem cells for COVID‐19 treatment that aim to use different cell sources, dosage, and importantly diverse targeted patient groups. In this brief review, the possibilities of stem cell use in COVID‐19 patients and relevant challenges in their use have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is still the only cure method for acquired severe aplastic anemia. How to select patients for treatment has become a research hotspot in recent years. OBJECTIVE: To review the progress of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from three aspects: HLA full-phase matched unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (MUD-HSCT), unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) and haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HID-HSCT). METHODS: Literatures on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia collected in PubMed, CNKI full-text database and WanFang database from 2000 to 2018 were retrieved with the keywords "unrelated donor; haploidentical; unrelated cord blood; severe aplastic anemia" in Chinese and English. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: MSD-HSCT is the first-line treatment for severe aplastic anemia, but in view of China's special national conditions, HLA matched donor is not easy to find. As an important alternative treatment, MUD-HSCT is close to MSD-HSCT. However, the incidence of graft versus host disease and severe infection after MUD-HSCT is still higher than that after MSD-HSCT. It is still necessary to consider multiple factors when choosing MUD-HSCT treatment. Umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells are widely used because of their abundant sources and high match success rate. The probability of UCBT is very high when the amount of pre-frozen total nucleated cells is more than 3.9x107/kg. However, in view of the delay of UCBT and immune function reconstruction, unless other transplantation methods are not feasible in clinical treatment of severe aplastic anemia and immunosuppressive therapy fails in the first course of treatment, UCBT should not be considered. HID-HSCT has the advantages of easy access and good compliance of donors and is close to full-matched transplantation. It has become an important alternative to transplantation. The use of baliximab and/or antithymocyte globulin is expected to reduce the incidence of graft versus host disease and expand the clinical application of HID-HSCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, breakthroughs have been made in the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat various diseases. Several stem cell types have been authorized as drugs by the European Medicines Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Chinese official document "Notification of the management of stem cell clinical research (trial)" was also published in August 2015. Currently, China has approved 106 official stem cell clinical research filing agencies and 62 clinical research projects, which are mostly focused on MSC therapy. Hence, the optimization and development of stem cell drugs is imperative. During this process, maximizing MSC expansion, minimizing cell loss during MSC transplantation, improving the homing rate, precisely regulating the differentiation of MSCs, and reducing MSC senescence and apoptosis are major issues in MSC preclinical research. Similar to artemisinin extracted from the stems and leaves of Artemisia annua , ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) is purified from the root or stem of ginseng. In the human body, Rg1 regulates organ function, which is inseparable from its regulation of adult stem cells. Rg1 treatment may effectively regulate the proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and apoptosis of MSCs in different microenvironments in vitro or in vivo. In this review, we discuss recent advances in understanding the effect of Rg1 on MSCs and describe the issues that must be addressed and prospects regarding Rg1 regulation of MSCs in preclinical or clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease, and there are no known drugs for curing Alzheimer’s disease. Stem cell transplantation provides a new therapeutic method for Alzheimer’s disease. OBJECTIVE: To reveal the theme, evolutionary path and research progress of stem cell therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, in a bid to provide reference for the research and clinical treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. METHODS: A computer search of CNKI, CBM, ISI Web of knowledge, and Embace was performed with the keywords of “Alzheimer’s disease” and “stem cells” + “Alzheimer’s disease,” in Chinese and English, respectively. We conducted a visualized knowledge mapping and literature review of stem cell therapy for Alzheimer’s disease using CiteSpace software. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The evolutionary path of research on stem cell therapy for Alzheimer’s disease is closely related to stem cell transplantation research. The main line of this research is single and prominent, which is developed and implemented based on the keywords of “Alzheimer’s disease - stem cells, neural stem cells - transplantation - bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, beta-amyloid - tissue engineering,” and the core domains composed by these keywords. Human stem cell clinical trials are ongoing in the early stage. The safety, efficacy and ethical issues of stem cells should be emphasized. The regulation of stem cell differentiation should become an issue of concern, and individualized stem cell treatment should be implemented as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]