Placental Stem/Progenitor Cells: Isolation and Characterization

Mounting evidence suggests that the human term placenta could be a source of stem/progenitor cells with therapeutic potential and wide applicability for regenerative/reparative medicine approaches. Over recent years, we have learned that different cell types can be isolated from various regions of the human placenta. This chapter aims to discuss recent signifi cant developments regarding the isolation of these cells and to present what is to date known in terms of their phenotype, differentiation potential, and immunological properties. We will begin with a brief description of the structure of the placenta in order to provide readers with a clear picture of the target regions for stem/progenitor cell isolation, and we will then discuss trends which are evident in the properties of these cells by drawing on different characterization studies which have been performed. Furthermore, we have highlighted that although significant progress has been made, further improvements are required both for the establishment, and in particular the standardization, of isolation protocols for placental cells, and also for characterization methods which would lead to a better understanding of the phenotype of these cells and of their potential in terms of cell differentiation, immunogenicity, and other properties which would be relevant to their clinical application.