Stem Cells and Immunomodulation

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to provide new insights into the effect of stem cells (SCs) on damaged and pro-healing cells, within the contribution of the immune system.Mesenchymal/stromal stem cells (MSCs) and perinatal stem cells are a versatile source for cell therapies, promoting tissue regeneration. Beyond their differentiation potential, human SCs modulate the immune response, which has a critical role in the onset or progression of many diseases. This immunomodulatory property is a significant tool used to counteract the damage caused by unbalanced or persistent tissue inflammation. Unfortunately, clinical applications are not possible before a detailed description of the beneficial link between SCs and immune system effectors is defined.  Despite years of pre-clinical investigation, many SC-based clinical trials have not yielded satisfactory results. To prevent conflicting results, researchers should discover new mechanisms of action and deepen their knowledge on the ability to inhibit pro-inflammatory reactions and stimulate the anti-inflammatory response by clinically acceptable SCs.We encourage the submission of original research articles or review that describe the interesting interplay between stem cells and specific tissue-resident cells in co-cultures and organoid platforms. Manuscripts that show how stem cells alleviate tissue degeneration and infectious diseases are highly welcome, as well as those that discuss the protective and preventive effects in relevant cell players. Animal model reports and in vivo studies may be considered if relevant and corroborated by in vitro models.By contributing to this Special Issue, a better understanding of the effects mediated by the direct and indirect interactions between SCs and other specific cell types will advance the design of immunomodulation strategies. This will be an essential step for the widely successful transplantation of GMP-grade stem cell therapies or for specifically involved stem cell-free factor delivery, for the treatment of difficult-to-treat diseases and to offer new possible strategies to ameliorate current therapies.

Dr. Pasquale Marrazzo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• pre-conditioning and priming of stem cells
• new immunomodulatory assays
• immunomodulation in 3D cell culture, organoids and spheroids
• novel immunomodulatory properties of stem cells
• antimicrobial stem cells
• wharton jelly and umbilical cord stem cells
• novel immune targets of stem cell factors
• immunotolerance by stem cells
• immunophenotyping of new stem cell sources
• immunomodulation by progenitor cells