Abstract
A new society was born in Brescia, Italy on September 12, 2009, highlighting the ascent of placenta as a valuable source of stem cells. The founding of the International Placenta Stem Cell Society, or IPLASS, was the culmination of two international workshops (held in 2007 and 2009), both organized and hosted by Prof. Ornella Parolini at Brescia's premier medical center, Centro di Ricerca E. Menni, Fondazione Poliambulanza-Istituto Ospedaliero. The initial meeting focused on defining placenta-derived stem cells, whereas the subsequent meeting provided insight into recent therapeutic applications of these cells in a variety of human disorders. The attendees of these workshops eventually became the founders of IPLASS, and represent the continents of Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, serving as testament to the worldwide interest in placenta stem cell research.
The first study on placental tissue as a source of cells for regenerative medicine dates back to 2000 (10). The early embryological origin of placenta, together with its involvement in maintaining fetomaternal tolerance, led researchers to hypothesize presence of immature cells with immunomodulatory properties in placental tissues (7). Indeed, phenotypic plasticity has now been demonstrated for many of the cell types isolated from these tissues (7), while it has been shown that some of these cells also fail to induce an allogeneic or xenogeneic immune response in vitro and strongly suppress lymphocyte proliferation induced by mitogens or alloantigens, often in a dose-dependent manner (1, 5). Moreover, amniotic membrane-derived cells have also been shown to exert immunomodulatory effects on antigen-presenting cells, as demonstrated by their capacity to block maturation of monocytes into dendritic cells (6).
Preclinical studies in animal models suggest that placenta-derived cells may improve functions of injured tissues, with evidence that the beneficial effects observed are often mediated by the paracrine release of soluble factors, which act on the local tissue environment to reduce inflammation and fibrosis (2, 3, 11).
Amniotic membrane-derived cells have been shown to confer neuroprotection and functional recovery in animal models of neurological disorders such as brain ischemia, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injury (9, 11). Meanwhile, in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung injury, treatment with fetal membrane-derived cells from either human or mouse have both been shown to cause a reduction in severity and extent of lung fibrosis (3). Furthermore, use of amniotic membrane or amniotic-derived cells demonstrated improvement of cardiac function and reduction of infarct size in coronary ligation-induced ischemia (2, 4). Finally, placenta-derived cells have also been applied in the treatment of critical limb ischemia in mice, resulting in a significant increase in the number of new capillaries supplying the limb in treated animals compared to controls (8).
The inaugural IPLASS meeting was graced by world transplant researcher Prof. Peter Heeger from Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York (USA). This was followed by a closed-door meeting among IPLASS members whereby the society was formally organized and the new officers inducted. Fittingly, Prof. Ornella Parolini was voted president; the other officers were Cesario Borlongan (USA) as vice president, Francesco Alviano (Italy) as treasurer, Marco Evangelista (Australia) as secretary, and the following as councilors: Bing Liu (China), Heinz Redl (Austria), Marta Magatti (Italy), Ursula Manuelpillai (Australia), Venkatachalam Sankar (India), Stephen Strom (USA), Susanne Wolbank (Austria), and Steffen Zeisberger (Switzerland).
The primary aims of IPLASS include: promotion of research on placenta as a source of adult stem cells by supporting basic scientific research, with the final aim of applying these cells for cell therapy; facilitating interaction between members, thereby allowing exchange of ideas, information, and new findings concerning placenta-derived stem cells, by promoting activities such as joint grant applications and organizing periodical meetings and symposia; promoting and financing exchanges for young researchers between member laboratories in order to foster the development of professional capacities and create collaborative networks; and organization of a scientific meeting on placenta-derived stem cell research every 2 years.
The immediate goal of IPLASS is that of improving scientific awareness about placenta stem cell research. To this end, the society has recently initiated the construction of a website that caters to its research mission, which can be found at http://www.iplass.org. The website features the IPLASS logo (Fig. 1), in which the letter P is configured to represent the placenta, symbolizing the society's focus and belief in this tissue as a valuable therapeutic material.
IPLASS logo.
In closing, the officers and members of IPLASS accept the inherent challenges that are to come in maximizing the potential of placenta in basic scientific pursuit, as well as in the translational and clinical application of stem cells derived from this tissue.