Stemness specificity of epithelial cells – application of cell and tissue technology in regenerative medicine

Stem cells are cells that have the potential to replicate and/or differentiate, becoming any tissue. This process could be theoretically repeated indefinitely and can be used to create or fix damaged parts any organ. There are many in vivo factors that cause stem cells to replicate and differentiate. Many of these interactions and mechanisms are still unknown. In vitro models have been successful in inducing stem cells to differentiate into the desired lineage using controlled methods. Recently, epithelial tissue has been successfully created using scaffolds on which stem cells are grown in vitro and then transplanted into the host. This transition creates significant problems. This is because in vitro -grown stem cells or stem cell-derived tissues are created in an isolated environment where virtually every aspect can be monitored and controlled. In vivo monitoring and controlling is significantly more difficult for a plethora of reasons. Cells in the body are constantly exposed to many signals and molecules which affect them. Many of the mechanisms behind these interactions and reactions are known but many others are not. As the corpus of knowledge grows, stem cells become closer to being applied in a clinical setting. In this paper, we review the current evidence on stem cell therapy in regenerative medicine and some of the challenges this field faces.