title: Stem Cell-Based Therapeutics to Improve Wound Healing.
abstract: Issues surrounding wound healing have garnered deep scientific interest as well as booming financial markets invested in novel wound therapies. Much progress has been made in the field, but it is unsurprising to find that recent successes reveal new challenges to be addressed. With regard to wound healing, large tissue deficits, recalcitrant wounds, and pathological scar formation remain but a few of our most pressing challenges. Stem cell-based therapies have been heralded as a promising means by which to surpass current limitations in wound management. The wide differentiation potential of stem cells allows for the possibility of restoring lost or damaged tissue, while their ability to immunomodulate the wound bed from afar suggests that their clinical applications need not be restricted to direct tissue formation. The clinical utility of stem cells has been demonstrated across dozens of clinical trials in chronic wound therapy, but there is hope that other aspects of wound care will inherit similar benefit. Scientific inquiry into stem cell-based wound therapy abounds in research labs around the world. While their clinical applications remain in their infancy, the heavy investment in their potential makes it a worthwhile subject to review for plastic surgeons, in terms of both their current and future applications.
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA ; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA ; Department of Surgery, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Tripp
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leavitt
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA ; Section of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duscher
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pollhammer
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA ; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Graham G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Walmsley
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Zeshaan N
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Maan
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander T M
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Georg M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Huemer
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA ; Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Longaker
authors.affiliation: Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: H Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lorenz