Advancing Cell Transplantation Research with Integrity and Rigor

Cell Transplantation has long been recognized as a cornerstone journal in the field of regenerative medicine, thanks to the foresight of Dr. Paul R. Sanberg and Dr. Camillo Ricordi who laid the groundwork 32 years ago. As we begin a new chapter, we pay tribute to the significant contributions of our outgoing Co-Editors-in-Chief, Paul R. Sanberg and Shinn-Zong Lin, whose guidance has steered the journal to an excellent height of science. We express our gratitude for their unwavering dedication and are pleased to announce that they will continue to contribute as Emeritus Co-Editors-in-Chief, their experience and insights remaining invaluable as we progress.

Reflecting on Our Past to Forge Ahead

Recently, our journal has faced a challenging period with the retraction of a number of articles published between 2019 to 2022. The action was taken to uphold the integrity of scientific research and to maintain the trust of our readership. Although a difficult decision, it was made in the best interest of the scientific community to ensure that our publications are not only groundbreaking but also reliable and scientifically sound.

The retraction serves as a reminder of the critical importance of rigorous peer review and the collective responsibility to uphold research integrity. It highlights the consequences of failing to meet these standards and emphasizes the necessity for continuous vigilance in our quest for scientific truth.

Advancing into a New Era of Scientific Excellence

Cell transplantation has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for a diverse range of diseases, from neurodegenerative disorders to autoimmune conditions. The field is rapidly evolving, with advancements in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and immunology driving its progress. It is essential that our journal reflects these developments and provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research.

Looking ahead, starting from 2025, Cell Transplantation will adopt even more stringent scientific standards. This decision follows careful consideration and is in response to the evolving landscape of cell transplantation research. Our goal is to ensure that the journal remains at the forefront of scientific discovery and continues to be a trusted source of high-quality, cutting-edge research on cell transplantation and its applications.

To achieve our objectives, Cell Transplantation will focus more on publishing mechanistic studies or functional analyses of cell transplantation and its applications, rather than studies where cell transplantation is merely a method used in the experimental process. The topics we consider for publication, reflecting the broad scope of Cell Transplantation, encompass both basic and clinical research, as well as ethical and social considerations, and may include, but are not limited as follows:

• 1. Stem Cell Research and Therapy: Studies involving the isolation, characterization, and therapeutic application of stem cells, including embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. For instance, the review article published in 2022 summarizes the different types of infertility disorders, as well as the advantages and challenges of potential applications of stem cells in the treatment of these reproductive diseases (1).

• 2. Xenotransplantation/Xenograft Research: Investigations into the use of cells, tissues, or organs for transplantation between different species, including the study of xenograft rejection, compatibility, and the development of strategies to overcome immunological barriers, such as the review article, in which Arabi et al., summarize recent findings on the advancements in xenotransplantation, the role of immunity in xenograft rejection, and its biomarkers (2).

• 3. Cell Differentiation and Reprogramming: Research on the mechanisms of cell differentiation, lineage specification, and the reprogramming of somatic cells to pluripotency. For example, to better understand the metabolic control of stem cell quiescence and activation, Hu et al., utilized classical signaling pathways and developed a cell culture system to model reversible the quiescence and activation of neural stem cells (3).

• 4. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: Investigations into the development of biomaterials, scaffolds, and bioengineered tissues for regenerative therapies, such as the fibrin hydrogel scaffold loaded with human umbilical cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) for promoting skin wound healing (4), pericardial grafting of cardiac progenitor cells in self-assembling peptide scaffold with the capacity to improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (5), and bioceramics serving as temporary implants, fostering tissue in growth and the regeneration of new bone (6).

• 5. Immunology and Transplantation Tolerance: Studies on immune responses to transplanted cells, the development of strategies to induce tolerance, and the role of immune modulation in transplantation, such as the study reported by Chen et al., in which they disclosed downregulating three most common xenoreactive antigen genes in porcine meniscal cells contributes to mitigating T-cell-mediated rejection within the human immune system (7).

• 6. Gene Therapy and Genetic Modification: Research on the use of genetic engineering techniques to modify cells for therapeutic purposes, including CRISPR/Cas9 and other gene-editing technologies.

• Fabry disease is an X-linked genetic disorder with the symptoms, including cardiomyopathy, renal failure, and stroke, that is caused by a deficiency of α-galactosidase A (GLA). The researchers from Japan developed the transplantation of Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) secreting modified α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase by genome editing could supply the GLA activity in vivo (8).

• 7. Cell-Based Therapies for Neurological Disorders: Clinical and preclinical studies on the use of cell transplantation to treat neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and spinal cord injuries. For instance, Li et al., reported the effects of VEGF-expressing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on Parkinson’s disease-related pain and the involved mechanisms (9). Notably, the researchers from University of Cambridge discussed the therapeutic potential of astrocyte transplantation in treating various brain disorders by examining the underlying astrocytic abnormalities and reviewing the existing evidence and methodologies for generating astrocytes for transplantation, ultimately highlighting the key requirements for clinical application in their review article (10). In addition, Nabetani et al. reviewed clinical studies on cell therapies for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, shedding light on a new paradigm for cell therapy for autism (11).

• 8. Cancer Cell Transplantation: Research on the use of immune cells, such as CAR-T cells, in cancer immunotherapy and the development of novel cell-based cancer treatments. The journal published a comprehensive and systematic review article in which the authors from Chinese Academy of Sciences investigate the technological innovation and clinical progress of immune cell therapies in treating cancer (12).

• 9. Cardiovascular Cell Transplantation: Studies on the use of cell therapy for cardiac repair, including the treatment of myocardial infarction and heart failure, such as the report of MSCs patch improving left ventricular function via arteriogenesis induction (13).

• 10. Cell Transplantation in Metabolic Diseases: Research on cell-based therapies for diabetes (14-16), liver diseases (17,18), and other metabolic disorders.

• 11. Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI): Discussions and analyses of the ethical, legal, and social aspects of cell transplantation, including informed consent, patient autonomy, and access to treatment.

• Of note, the senior editorial board member of Cell Transplantation, Prof. Walter C. Low, and his colleagues discussed the ethics concerns during chimera formation (19) and provided a comprehensive analysis of the legal and scientific barriers to conducting research on human-animal chimera research for the generation of transplantable human organs (20).

• 12. Clinical Trials and Outcomes: Reports on the results of clinical trials involving cell transplantation, including safety, efficacy, and long-term follow-up studies, such as the results of a phase II clinical trial reported by Spanish researchers who evaluated the safety and efficacy of intravenous adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) in patients with acute ischemic stroke, finding the treatment to be safe with no significant differences in adverse events or tumor development between the AD-MSC and placebo groups over a 24-month follow-up period (21).

• 13. Technological Innovations in Cell Transplantation: Developments in cell isolation, culture, expansion, and transplantation techniques, as well as advances in imaging and monitoring cell grafts, such as ubiquitous luciferase expression in Firefly rats was investigated in islet transplantation studies (15).

• 14. Preclinical Models and Animal Studies: Research using animal models to study the efficacy and mechanisms of cell transplantation therapies.

• 15. Cell Transplantation in Rare Diseases: Studies focusing on the application of cell-based therapies for rare or orphan diseases.

Strengthening Peer Review and Editorial Processes

In addition to improving scientific standards, we will enhance our peer review process to ensure that only the most rigorous and impactful studies are published. This includes implementing additional checks for data integrity, auditing unusual activities during submission and peer review processes, and engaging qualified reviewers with the appropriate expertise.

We are committed to transparency in our editorial processes and will provide authors with clear guidelines on what is expected from a manuscript submitted to Cell Transplantation. This includes adherence to ethical guidelines, such as those set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (22), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (23), and and the Equator network (24), as well as providing detailed feedback to authors to facilitate the improvement of their work.

Conclusions

Cell Transplantation is dedicated to advancing the field of cell transplantation with research integrity and scientific rigor. We are grateful for the contributions of our past Editors-in-Chief and look forward to the continued support of the scientific community. We invite researchers to submit their groundbreaking work to our journal and are committed to providing a platform for the dissemination of high-quality research that can foster interdisciplinary collaboration by bringing together researchers from various fields and ultimately contribute to the understanding and advancement of cell transplantation therapies.