During the past few years, we witnessed explosive progress in the field of stem cell research, leading to an increasing hope for more effective cell replacement therapies to treat various diseases. The self-renewal capability of stem cells, combined with their ability to differentiate into different cell types under programmed conditions, enables improved models for drug discovery and mechanism-based studies of diseases, hence laying the foundation for their therapeutic applications. In fact, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based transplantation therapy has already been performed in rodent models.
This special edition of Acta Pharmacologica Sinica on "stem cell therapy and drug discovery" includes 11 articles that highlight both new findings and emerging ideas in different aspects of stem cell technologies, clinical therapies and drug discoveries. The collection of these impressive articles provides an excellent reference map for experts and a point of entry into this exciting research field for the novice.

• • June 2013 Special Issue
• • Original articles
  • Reviews