title: Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1): homing factor for engineered regenerative medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1) is a chemokine that plays a major role in cell trafficking and homing of CD34(+) stem cells. Studies employing SDF-1/CXCR4 have demonstrated its therapeutic potential in tissue engineering. During injury, cells from the injured organ highly express SDF-1, which causes an elevation of localized SDF-1 levels. This leads to recruitment and retention of circulating CD34(+) progenitor cells at the injury site via chemotactic attraction toward a gradient of SDF-1. The general approaches for SDF-1 introduction in tissue engineering are direct protein incorporation into scaffolds and transplantation of SDF-1-overexpressing cells and both methods are successful in improving the regeneration of the damaged tissue/organ.
  
  
  METHODS
  The mechanisms of SDF-1-mediated homing via CXCR4 receptor and the success of SDF-1-based medical applications in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) homing as well as areas such as therapeutic angiogenesis, wound healing and neuronal and liver regeneration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current SDF-1 delivery designs and platforms hold much room for improvement. Regardless of the different techniques of SDF-1 introduction, they have proved to be effective in recruitment of various stem/progenitor cells. The pursuit of SDF-1-related regenerative medicine has already begun. It is thus conceivable that its usage in the clinical setting will be a reality in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Division of BioEngineering, 70 Nanyang Drive, N1.3-B2-13, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ting Ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Dong-An
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D044968:Regenerative Medicine; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D054377:Chemokine CXCL12