Regeneration, the homeostatic ability to maintain tissue structure in the face of normal cell turnover or loss of tissue damaged by trauma or disease, is an essential developmental process that continues throughout life. As recently as a decade ago, any serious discussion of the possibility of regeneration becoming a practical medical tool in the near future had the air of science fiction or over-optimistic speculation. The term "regenerative medicine" was certainly on many lips but few actually expected to soon see it applied in a clinical setting. A tidal wave of discovery has changed that and investigating the cellular mechanisms of natural regeneration has become one of the hottest topics in developmental biology and biomedicine in general. Many researchers entering the field find that the regeneration literature is still quite diffuse perhaps owing to the disparate biological systems that have been the object of study including hydra, planaria, newts, axolotls and more recently several mouse strains. The volume editors believe that an attempt to organize or systematize the literature is long overdue. In this volume, respected experts highlight the latest findings in vertebrate (including mammals) wound healing and regeneration. They present eleven reviews that cover a wide range of topics, from wound repair and its relationship to regeneration, through systems including lenticular, neural, and musculoskeletal tissues and limbs, to epigenetics and the role of the cell cycle. Nuclear reprogramming and cellular plasticity, which open the door for potential regenerative medical therapies for injury and degenerative disease, are recurring themes throughout the book. We are all now part of the regeneration revolution.

Regeneration, the homeostatic ability to maintain tissue structure in the face of normal cell turnover or loss of tissue damaged by trauma or disease, is an essentialdevelopmental process that continues throughout life. As recently as a decade ago, any serious discussion of the possibility of regeneration becoming a practical medical tool in the near future had the air of science fiction or over-optimistic speculation. The term regenerative medicine was certainly on many lips but few actually expected to soon see it applied in a clinical setting. A tidal wave of discovery has changed that and investigating the cellular mechanisms of natural regeneration has become one of the hottest topics in developmental biology and biomedicine in general. Many researchers entering the field find that the regeneration literature is still quite diffuse perhaps owing to the disparate biological systems that have been the object of study including hydra, planaria, newts, axolotls and more recently several mouse strains. The volume editors believe that an attempt to organize or systematize the literature is long overdue. In this volume, respected experts highlight the latest findings in vertebrate (including mammals) wound healing and regeneration. They present eleven reviews that cover a wide range of topics, from wound repair and its relationship to regeneration, through systems including lenticular, neural, and musculoskeletal tissues and limbs, to epigenetics and the role of the cell cycle. Nuclear reprogramming and cellular plasticity, which open the door for potential regenerative medical therapies for injury and degenerativedisease, are recurring themes throughout the book. We are all now part of the regeneration revolution."

Advances in cell, developmental and molecular biology, and the discovery of regeneration-competent cells in many non-regenerating mammalian tissues, have given impetus to systematic investigations that will enable us to regenerate these tissues by cell transplantation or the pharmaceutical induction of regeneration from the body s own tissues. A significant avenue of research is the identification of the soluble and insoluble signals and their transduction pathways that govern the proliferation and differentiation of regeneration-competent cells, and the signals that inhibit their activity after injury.

How far can we go in our quest for regeneration? We will probably be able to induce the regeneration of some tissues, such as skin or even spinal cord, within a few years. The regeneration of others, such as heart, lung, kidney or appendages, may be more complex and difficult, but we should not view them as impossible. They will just take a little longer."

Since the publication of the first edition of Regenerative Biology and Medicine in 2006, steady advances have been made in understanding the origin and characteristics of stem cells in epithelia, skeletal muscle, and bone, and in the niche signals that regulate the activities of these cells. Simultaneously, breakthroughs including the creation of iPSCs and transdifferentiation have created a momentum for regenerative biology with implications in regenerative biology that are far-reaching.

This book highlights these advances in the field to embrace a vast audience of investigators in chemistry, computer science, informatics, physics and mathematics as well as graduate students, clinical physicians, and biologists who are realizing the importance of the fields of regenerative biology and medicine in practice. Organized in three parts - biology of regeneration, regenerative medicine, and perspectives - this second edition creates a framework for integrating old and new data in this progressive field.
Includes coverage odskin, hair, teeth, cornea, and central neural tissuesProvides description of regenetive medicine indigestive, respiratory, urogenital, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular systemsIncludes amphibians as powerful research models with discussion ofappendage regeneration in amphibians and mammals"

This is an opinion piece from a highly qualified professor of science who has served in administration highlightsthe need for reform in our public higher education research institutions.In this well-researched reference, Dr. Stocum illustrates how the competition among the public flagship universities for more money, research prestige, and power, and the imposition of mission differentiation on public universities, is detrimental to the educational needs of 21st century. The goal of the work is to expose the issues that exist, give a voice to under-recognized institutions and to provide suggestions for more effective education system moving forward.

*A well researched reference on widespread policy

* Offers insightful reflection based on first-hand experience

*Examines and proposes solutions to ignite the conversation and promote possible solutions tothe problems in our present higher education structure."