LAUSR

The International Network for Translating Research on Perinatal Derivatives into Therapeutic Approaches SPRINT is a COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action that brings together experts in terms of academic, clinical, and industrial knowledge from over 30 countries, in order to improve the basic understanding and the clinical translation of perinatal derivatives. Perinatal tissues, and more specifically human placenta, has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine for centuries. Since the early 1900’s an increasing body of evidence has shown that these tissues have clinical benefits in a wide range of wound repair and surgical applications. The earliest reported applications of the placenta were on fetal membranes, and the first reports showing that the placenta also harbors cells which could have stem/progenitor properties, ultimately giving rise to their potential use in regenerative medicine, were published many years later (Bailo et al., 2004; Fukuchi et al., 2004; Igura et al., 2004; In ’t Anker et al., 2004; Soncini et al., 2007; Troyer and Weiss, 2008). Nowadays, there is an undeniable need and desire to understand the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of perinatal tissues, and their derivatives such as cells and secretome, collectively referred to as perinatal derivatives (PnD). Many preclinical studies have now demonstrated that PnD may represent important tools for restoring tissue damage or promoting regeneration and repair of the tissue microenvironment. Despite a variety of PnD have been investigated in regenerative medicine approaches, their translation into clinical practice has been, to date, haphazard, incomplete and slow, ultimately limiting their therapeutic potential. This Research Topic is dedicated to showcasing contributions that work toward a joint effort from the EU-funded COST SPRINT Action which addresses different issues that need to be faced in order to fully exploit the successful and efficient clinical applications of PnD, and to determine which PnD as well as it’s mode of application is optimal for defined diseases. A major effort of the COST SPRINT Action broadly aims to approach consensus for different aspects of PnD research, such as providing inputs for future standards for the processing and in vitro characterization and clinical application of PnD. To this end, reference nomenclature for PnD must be established and consensus and universal guidelines for the donor eligibility, collection, culture, and cryopreservation should be defined. In this issue, Silini et al. propose consensus nomenclature for perinatal tissues and cells and address specific issues that are relevant for the definition/ characterization of perinatal cells, starting from an understanding of the development of the human placenta, its structure, and the different cell populations that can be isolated from the different perinatal tissues. They also describe cell localization in the placenta and morphology and phenotype. Furthermore, Železnik Ramuta et al. provide several considerations for planning future Edited and reviewed by: Ranieri Cancedda, Independent Researcher, Genova, Italy