ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an insight on the latest evolution of stem cell (SC), with a glance at their possible application for regenerative medicine, and recent clinical translations, particularly in the pediatric surgery field. Embryonic stem (ES) cells can be used to generate tissues but could also be employed as "cellular models" to study a range of human diseases, and to test new drug candidates for efficacy and toxicity. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has also been adopted to create patient-specific SCs, and avoid problems relating to the creation of allogenic tissue. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells avoids both the immunological and ethical problems. Synthetic materials were considered as a possibility for tissue engineering following their use as biomaterials in other areas of medicine. Natural acellular matrices are organs from humans or animals that have been treated to remove cells and immunogenic material, producing natural scaffolds that maintain their architecture of origin.
