The ability to control cell fate specification and to program stem cells into specialized progeny has opened new avenues of research into developmental biology including cell diversity and gene regulation. Stem cells isolated from adult and fetal/embryonic tissues are currently considered a promising tool for therapeutic applications in the treatment of human diseases and for the development of strategies inhibiting the cancer-promoting action of mutant stem cells. The use of stem cells in the clinic is almost within touching distance, and groundbreaking research in the last decade has demonstrated their therapeutic effect in animal models and in patients as well as their value in drug discovery and regenerative medicine. This has led to a decisive turning point in the field, signaling a rapid expansion and major emerging advancements in stem cell technologies. Furthermore, the possibility of reprogramming adult somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells or directly converting somatic cells into specific cell types, thus bypassing an intermediate pluripotent state, has made an important contribution to stem cell research in terms of overcoming ethical issues and generating patient-specific cells for precision medicine.

In this collection, we will cover innovative methods and/or experimental systems based on stem cells that have furthered our understanding of the mechanisms of stem cell self-renewal, programming, and reprogramming, and tissue regeneration. The scope of the topic includes but is not limited to 1) in vitro 2D/3D stem cell-based models (e.g., self-renewal, differentiation, reprogramming, cell identification/targeting), 2) stem cell-based technologies for organ regeneration and tissue engineering, and 3) cancer stem cell biology.