Call for manuscripts for JPMA special supplement
Call for manuscripts is now open for a special conference supplement by the Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association (JPMA). Contributions are invited to the 8th AKU Annual Surgical Conference, for a special JPMA Supplement on primary or secondary research work to explore the existing evidence of the utility, safety, and efficacy of Stem cells for diagnostics, therapeutics and tissue regeneration in surgical specialties.
The stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to a cell or tissue lineage with specialized functions. Stem cell therapy is recognized for a limited number of conditions, including bone marrow transplantation, metabolic and autoimmune diseases, and certain cancers in the past decade. However, in recent years, there has been a marvelous increase in the understanding of stem cell biology, which has expanded stem cell research at an exponential rate, particularly in the field of regenerative therapies within all surgical specialties.
Stem cells are found in both embryonic and adult organisms and the therapies have utilized two main tissue origins, these being the hematopoietic and mesenchyme tissues. Adult bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood are sources of hematopoietic stem cells. Bone marrow stroma, adipose tissue and the placenta are sources of mesenchymal stem cells. Each of these has promised to revolutionize the future of regenerative medicine through the provision of cell-replacement therapies to treat a variety of debilitating diseases. However, adult stem cells have been the cell of choice when developing stem cell treatments.
The diverse approaches have been adopted in stem cells harvesting, their isolation, manipulation, expansion, cryopreservation, cell storage, cell density used, and applications, indicating an experimental nature of stem cell utility, that are mostly done on animals or in vitro, or preclinical phase on human models. A very few randomized control trials have been conclusive regarding the safety and effectiveness of stem cell therapies. Even, some of the trials have been withdrawn due to ethical reasons and most of the others are in recruiting phase. Despite uncertainties of safety and efficacy, many surgical specialties are turning towards stem cell therapies to improve therapeutic outcomes. This trend raises the question of whether there is sufficient evidence to support their use in surgical subspecialties.
On the other hand, due to the complexity of stem cells and the variety of ways in which they can be used and manipulated, it does not fit within current monitoring frameworks for biological products or medicines and is still a subject of ongoing ethical debate employing a massive challenge for regulatory agencies worldwide. No doubt, the future of stem cell research and therapy will continue to provide novel avenues of diagnostics, therapeutics, and tissue regeneration and will make a big swing in the current standard of care especially in the surgical field.
Type of Articles:
Under the theme of “Stem Cells: A New Frontier in
Surgery” manuscripts are invited that include Original Research
Articles (Observational studies, Randomized Control trials, Quasi-experimental
studies, Validation studies), Protocols (RCTs only), Narrative or Systematic
reviews, and Meta-analysis.
Sub-themes:
The sub-themes will cover, but are not limited to the following:
Safety and efficacy of Stem cell therapy in various surgical subspecialties
Sources/origin of Stem cell and harvesting techniques
Stem cell manipulation and expansion
Stem cell isolation, cryopreservation, and storage
The implication and outcomes of Stem cell therapy in oncology
Diagnostic role of Stem cells
Utility of Stem cells in regenerative and reconstructive therapies
Stem cell therapies - ethics and legislation in LMICs context
Basic science and clinical translation in stem cell research
All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer review process. Contributions accepted will be published in the JPMA supplement, which will appear before the conference.
Submission deadline: September 30, 2022
Submit to: surgery.events@aku.edu
For more information or inquiries, please contact:
Mr Shariff Charania
Tel: +92 21 34864374, 34864759
