Stem Cells, Biomimetic Polymers, and the Promise of Regenerative Medicine
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are being studied as a potential source of cells for the treatment for many diseases (e.g. cardiac failure, diabetes, Parkinson’s, leukemia). The successful integration of hESC for therapies for these diseases will hinge upon three critical steps: stem cell expansion in number without differentiating (i.e., self-renewal); differentiation into a specific cell type or collection of cell types; and, promotion of their functional integration into existing tissue. To address these issues, we have created artificial extracellular matrices (ECMs) that are environmentally responsive and tunable with respect to mechanical properties (e.g. G*), biological ligands, and protease degradation. This lecture will first briefly review the nascent field of stem cell-based regenerative medicine (e.g., tissue engineering) and then will address a general strategy based upon our novel artificial ECMs that will provide: 1) a foundation for local cell development from undifferentiated satellite stem cells; 2) enhance angiogenesis and host cell infiltration; and, 3) promote tissue regeneration in a defect model.