Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: These are exciting times in stem cell science. We are inspired by both the quantity and high quality of manuscript submissions we receive from all over the world. The journal was launched to reflect the emerging transition in stem cell science from bench research to clinical studies that have the potential to improve patient outcomes. We are proud to share groundbreaking research with our readers with the goal of helping to speed the process of translation. Our “sibling” journal, STEM CELLS (www.Stemcells.Com, @StemCellsJournal), with its focus on a better understanding of stem cell function, continues to publish important manuscripts that are advancing the field. We are grateful to the many researchers who submit their best work to these journals and enable us to serve readers who seek the latest and most relevant findings. As an example of the high calibre of research published in SCTM, I would like to congratulate the authors of the “most accessed” articles during 2016. With more than 1,000 downloads each, the top 10 articles were accessed more than 16,000 times. The top most-accessed manuscript in 2016, “Differentiation of CD133+ Stem Cells from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients into Preneuron Cells,” was downloaded more than 2,500 times. In this manuscript, Dr. Gonzales-Garza et al. report that “CD133+ stems cells from ALS patients, like the stem cells of healthy subjects, are capable of differentiating into preneuron cells.” The work helped answer questions about the capacity of cells from these patients to engraft and differentiate into neurons. Number 2 on the list is a report from Boaz Arzi and team, “Therapeutic Efficacy of Fresh, Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Severe Refractory Gingivostomatitis in Cats.” The work demonstrated that the therapy resolved or reduced disease severity in most of the animals. The research also identified a potentially useful biomarker that “could dictate patient enrollment and shed light on immune modulation mechanism.” This animal model offers the potential to translate therapies for human oral inflammatory disease. The third most downloaded manuscript was “Concise Review: Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Wound Repair.” Scott Maxson et al. provide a summary of “current knowledge of biological properties of MSCs and describes the use of MSCs for wound healing.” The manuscript also describes the characterization of MSC-containing substitutes. Number 4 on the list is “Naıve Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Generated From b-Thalassemia Fibroblasts Allow Efficient Gene Correction With CRISPR/Cas9.” This study, by Yuanyuan Yang et al., found that “human naïve iPSCs could be directly generated from noninvasively collected urinary cells. The findings demonstrate the feasibility these cells for “disease modeling, gene editing and future clinical therapy.” The fifth most-downloaded manuscript in 2016 was “Concise Review: Patient-Specific Stem Cells to Interrogate Inherited Eye Disease,” by Joseph C. Giacalone et al. This review discusses “how the iPSC technology is being used to confirm the pathogenesis of novel genetic variants, interrogate the pathophysiology of disease, and accelerate the development of patient-centered treatments.” In addition to publishing articles with high readership, articles in SCTM are also highly cited, attesting to the quality of the journal's publications. The top five articles that have been cited over multiple years since 2014 are: “Accurate Prediction of Drug-Induced Liver Injury Using Stem Cell-Derived Populations,” by Dagmara Szkolnicka et al. “Adipose Stem Cells Used to Reconstruct 13 Cases With Cranio-Maxillofacial Hard-Tissue Defects,” by George K. Sandor et al. “Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Aged Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Keep Mesenchymal Stromal Cell,” Anastasia Efimenko et al. “Concise Review: Cell-Based Strategies in Bone Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine,” by Jinling Ma “Pre- and Postnatal Transplantation of Fetal Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Osteogenesis Imperfecta: A Two-Center Experience,” by Cecilia Gotherstrom et al. Our publisher, AlphaMed Press, and its leaders Ann and Martin Murphy, should be commended for their vision and for the work that their dedicated staff does daily. Finally, to our readers, we thank you for continuing to come back to the journal for the latest advances in the field. All of us at SCTM are expecting another successful year in 2017 and we offer best wishes to you. We are grateful to each and every one of you who has played a role in SCTM attaining a leadership role in the field. We are especially thankful to our contributors who are doing exceptional work and to our distinguished Editorial Board who work hard to make sure the best papers can be accepted. Anthony Atala At Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, Dr. Atala serves as the Director of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the world's largest such facility. At the Institute, he and his staff are currently working to grow more than 30 different tissues and organs, from heart valves to muscle to livers. With more than 25 years of experience, his main research focus is growing human tissues and organs to replace those damaged by disease or defect, and he led the team that developed the first lab grown organ to be implanted into a human. Along with his groundbreaking research, Dr. Atala is a practicing surgeon and Chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He is also a long-standing member of the Stem Cells Editorial Board.
DOI: 10.1002/sctm.16-0475
Author: Anthony Atala
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,963
OpenAlex ID: W2579051931