Challenges in stem cell differentiation and transplantation

The aim of this meeting was to discuss some basic issues in stem cell technology which could be relevant to future therapeutic trials. Therefore the focus was on applicability, complementing the ESF meeting held in Montpellier earlier this year, which was mainly devoted to chromatin changes at the molecular level which are associated to multipotentiality, reprogramming and cell differentiation. As such, after a general discussion of the state of the art of gene and cell therapy by Inder Verma, Sessions I and II were mainly devoted to the differentiation potential of embryonic stem cells both in humans (Session I) and in large animals (Session II). In Session III some signalling pathways linked to differentiation were examined. Sessions IV to VI dealt with potential clinical applications. In Session IV, the possibility to differentiate ESC into neural cells was examined. In Sessions V and VI the contribution of adult stem cells was discussed. Interestingly, adult stem cells are already used in the clinical framework to rescue tissues such as bone marrow, cornea, skin and bone. In others, studies are progressing fast toward pilot trials of cell therapy; in particular, examples of potential approaches for nervous and skeletal diseases were presented. In the final discussion, the need to start clinical studies was acknowledged, although the participants agreed that they should proceed without too much emphasis on results that are yet to be achieved