webinar

IJMS Webinar | Amniotic Fluid and Placental Membranes as Sources of Stem Cells

Name: IJMS Webinar | Amniotic Fluid and Placental Membranes as Sources of Stem Cells
Start: 2021-11-11T14:00:00
End: 2021-11-11T14:00:00

11 November 2021

14:00 (CET)

Online

Welcome from
the chair

3rd Webinar of International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Amniotic Fluid and Placental Membranes as Sources of Stem Cells

Significant recent advances in the regenerative therapy have intensified the research on different sources of stem cells. Although embryonic and adult tissues can be used for the isolation of pluripotent stem cells, significant limitations, including ethical concerns, complexity of isolation/culture and tumorigenicity, have hindered translation of laboratory findings into clinical practice.

Stem cell research drew the attention toward amniotic membrane and amniotic fluid stem cells, since these sources possess many advantages: first of all cells can be extracted from discarded fetal material, secondly abundant stem cells can be obtained and finally, these stem cell sources are free from ethical considerations and tumorigenicity. Stem cells derived from amniotic fluid and membranes possess embryonic stem cell-like differentiation capability and, similar to mesenchymal stem cells, are also able to modulate the local immune response. Their reduced immunogenicity and immunomodulatory properties allow their use in allo and xeno-transplantation settings. These, and other properties, make these cells attractive for cellular therapy.

This webinar features four eminent related experts covering researches into molecular biology, biochemistry, and physiology of amniotic fluid and placental membranes as sources of stem cells.

Date: 11 November 2021

Time: 2:00pm CET | 8:00am EST | 9:00pm CST Asia

Webinar ID: 869 0152 3981

Webinar Secretariat: ijms.webinar@mdpi.com

Meet Our Speakers

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Prof. Dr. Tullia Maraldi

Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy;
Tullia Maraldi graduated and obtained her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Bologna with a study on reactive oxygen species as second messanegers in the regulation of laukemia progression. In 2005, during the stay in the Molecular Signalling Laboratory directed by Dr. Martin Bootman in The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK, she studied the interplay between calcium signalling and ROS-dependent induction of death. Since 2007 she has worked on the biological characteristics of human stem cells isolated from human amniotic fluid (hAFSC) for the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia as Researcher and now as Associate Professor in Histology. Her current research interests are focused on investigating the role of redox balance in stem cell fate. She is particularly interested in the regenerative potential and immunomodulatory properties due to paracrine factors released as soluble secreted molecules and extracellular vesicles. She is also investigating the aging phenomenon occurring during in vitro expansion of hAFSC, focusing on the characterization of individual properties, such as the disposition to premature aging linked to a redox imbalance.

Prof. Dr. Valentina Russo

Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Italy;
Valentina Russo graduated in Veterinary Medicine (cum laude), University Federico II Naples. Actually, she is an Associate Professor of Veterinary Anatomy habilitated for Full Professor position at the University of Teramo. Valentina is vice-coordinator of the PhD programme in Cellular and Molecular Biotechnologies. Her research interests are mainly focused on amniotic epithelial stem cells and their application in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering especially for tendon therapy. She is Editor of two books and has edited several chapter books, has published 113 publications of which over 60 full papers published on peer reviewed international scientific journals. Valentina has been part of numerous European and national/regional projects as PI/member, actually she is PI for the University of Teramo of the funded H2020-MSCA-ITN-EJD- 955685 project Perspectives For Future Innovation in Tendon repair (P4 FIT).

Sponsors and Partners

Organizer

International Journal Of Molecular Sciences (IJMS)

Webinar Content

On Thursday 12 November 2021, MDPI and the Journal IJMS organized their 3^rd webinar called “Amniotic Fluid and Placental Membranes as Sources of Stem Cells”, chaired by Prof. Dr. Tullia Maraldi from the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy and Prof. Dr. Valentina Russo from the Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Italy.

The first speaker to kick off this webinar was Prof. Dr. Nicholas R. Forsyth from the School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering at Keele University, UK. He spoke about the role for placental membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells in personalised medicine. His research is focussed on improved understanding of stem cell biology, mechanisms of action in regenerative medicine applications, and the interface of biology with materials science

The second presentation was held by one of the Chairs, Prof. Dr. Valentina Russo and was entitled “Exploring Amniotic Epithelial Stem Cell-Based Achilles Tendon Healing”. Her research interests are mainly focused on amniotic epithelial stem cells and their application in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering especially for tendon therapy.

The second Chair, Prof. Dr. Tullia Maraldi, held the third presentation with the title “Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease: In Vitro Therapeutic Effect of Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells Extracellular Vesicles”. Her current research interests are focused on investigating the role of redox balance in stem cell fate. She is particularly interested in the regenerative potential and immunomodulatory properties due to paracrine factors released as soluble secreted molecules and extracellular vesicles.

Dr. Sveva Bollini from the Experimental Biology Unit, Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genova, Italy brought the webinar to a close with her presentation on “Fetal and Perinatal Human Amniotic Fluid Stem Cell Secretome Formulations: Candidate Bioactive Agents for Cardiac Repair?” Her research mainly focuses on the functional characterization of human fetal and perinatal stem cell extracellular vesicles to enhance mechanisms of cardioprotection following injury and to rejuvenate myocardial renewal. Her talk was not recorded upon her request.

The presentations were followed by a Q&A and a discussion, moderated by the Chair. The webinar was offered via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found here on Sciforum website. In order to stay updated on the next webinars on IJMS, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking on “Subscribe” at the top of the page.

Relevant SI

Amniotic Fluid and Placental Membranes as Sources of Stem Cells 2.0
Guest Editors: Dr. Tullia Maraldi and Prof. Valentina Russo
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2021