The long journey of stem cell therapeutics

Euroepistem 2011, a multidisciplinary conference on stem cell biology and epigenetic regulation, was the second of a planned series of biennial international conferences convened by Krishnarao Appasani (GeneExpressions Inc., USA). The meeting brought together small groups of scientists from academia, the clinic and industry to present new research into the epigenetic mechanisms of stem cell regulation and potential therapeutic applications of this important field. The main themes included epigenetic regulation of gene expression by chromatin remodeling; micro-environmental and genetic factors mediating differentiation versus pluripotency; and the potential therapeutic applications of these research findings to cancer, neurological diseases and hematological disorders.The research presented in each of these areas represented interesting and sometimes important advances; however, the most important take home message was that much more groundbreaking research is required before any potential clinical benefit of stem cell research can be realized. Of course, a small group gathering for 2 days cannot possibly cover the spectrum of topics relevant to this important field; however, even in this small venue one could not escape the reality that recent research developments in this area are largely incremental and lacking the groundbreaking progress that will be necessary to realize the therapeutic potential of stem cell research. Here, I discuss the major research findings presented and the important roadblocks to therapeutic applications highlighted by these ongoing research efforts in stem cell biology.Karl Ekwall (Karolinska Institute, Sweden) delivered the keynote address focusing on inherited epigenomic modifications of chromatin structure. He discussed recent findings on the role of a complex group comprising over 50 remodeling factors, called SNF2 factors, in chromatin structure. Ekwall's laboratory has developed a genome-wide methodology for mapping nucleosome posit