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Germ Line Stem Cells: A Promising Alternative Source for Stem-Cell-Based Therapies in Regenerative Medicine

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Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy

Part of the book series: Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine ((STEMCELL))

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Abstract

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are exceptional cells with potential clinical applications in fertility preservation and regenerative medicine. Like other tissue-specific stem cells, SSCs are defined by their ability to balance between self-renewal and differentiation. This balance regulates the stem cell pool and guarantees the daily production of gametes. The preservation and transplantation of SSCs may become a promising strategy to treat reproductive stem cell loss disorders. As a consequence, the banking of testicular tissue from prepubertal patients is being introduced in a clinical setting. Moreover, with the increasing reports about the plasticity of mouse and human SSCs, their potential application in regenerative medicine is highly interesting. In contrast to males, females are born with a finite population of primordial follicles. Although the existence of ovarian stem cells (OSCs) has been suggested recently, it is still a matter of controversy. This review provides an update on the role of germ line stem cells in fertility restoration after germ cell loss, and gives an overview of (future) clinical applications making use of these fascinating cells.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful for the financial support received from Methusalem, the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen, Belgium), the Flemish League against Cancer, the Research Council of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and the Research Council of the UZ Brussel. E.G. is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the FWO-Vlaanderen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology of the Testis (BITE), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium

    Ellen Goossens

  2. Centre for Reproductive Medicine, UZ Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090, Brussels, Belgium

    Herman Tournaye

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  1. Ellen Goossens
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  2. Herman Tournaye
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Correspondence to Ellen Goossens .

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  1. Royan Institute, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Science and Culture, PO Box 19395-4644, Tehran, Iran

    Hossein Baharvand

  2. , Regenerative Medicine, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology an, P.O. Box: 19395-4644, Tehran, Iran

    Nasser Aghdami

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Goossens, E., Tournaye, H. (2013). Germ Line Stem Cells: A Promising Alternative Source for Stem-Cell-Based Therapies in Regenerative Medicine . In: Baharvand, H., Aghdami, N. (eds) Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-098-4_13

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