Stem Cell Transplantation

Organ transplantation has been the most important therapeutic advance in the last third of the 20th century. Its development has revolutionized medicine, as demonstrated by the fact that a large number of researchers in this field have been awarded Nobel Prizes. In the beginning of this century, we are witnessing with great expectations the emergence of a new field of medicine related to the arrival of a new player on the scene: “stem cells” and their potential use in regenerative medicine. This volume aims to cover important aspects of the various facets of organ transplantation and regenerative medicine, with leading specialists in these fields setting out their vision. We try to rigorously explain current and novel scientific research in these fields—areas which arouse great interest from society in general, due to their potential use in modern medicine for the treatment of a great number of diseases.

Carlos Lopez-Larrea is Professor of Immunology (Oviedo, Spain) and currently Head of the Department of Immunology at the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (Oviedo, Spain). He is a world expert on spondyloarthropathies (SpA), in particular MHC and genetic factors that influence the development of the disease. The main research interests of his group also currently include the study of epigenetic mechanisms involved in autoimmune diseases and the role of innate immunity in organ transplantation tolerance. He is a member of several international scientific organizations and board member of several scientific journals. He has published more than 150 international papers and book chapters related to immunology and spondylaorthropathies. Antonio Lopez-Vazquez, MD obtained the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the University of Navarra (Spain) in 1991. Currently, he is an Immunologist in the Department of Immunology of Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias in Oviedo (Spain). He specializes in histocompatibility and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Lopez-Vazquez’s areas of interest investigation include organ transplantation, celiac disease and HCV infection. Beatriz Suarez-Alvarez is a research associate in the Histocompatibility Unit of the Immunology Service at the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (Oviedo, Spain). She obtained her PhD degree in Biology Sciences (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) at the University of Oviedo, Spain. Her research project mainly focuses on the regulation of the Major Histocompatibility Complex during the differentiation of human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells to different cell types. Her research is based on the study of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of genes of the immune system and their role in the development of immune tolerance during transplantation and autoimmune diseases.