Advances of Nanotechnology in the Stem Cells Research and Development

In recent years, stem cell nanotechnology has emerged as a new exciting field. Theoretical and experimental studies of interaction between nanomaterials or nanostructures and stem cells have made great advances. The importance of nanomaterials, nanostructures and nanotechnology to the fundamental developments in stem cell-based therapies for injuries and degenerative diseases has been recognized. In particular, the effects of structure and properties of nanomaterials on the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells have become a new interdisciplinary frontier in regeneration medicine and material science. Nanomaterials and nanotechnology have been highlighted as promising candidates for efficient control over proliferation and differentiation of stem cells, revolutionizing the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, neuroprotection in traumatic brain injury, improving the osteospecific differentiation and function, tissue engineering scaffold, dental implant application, drug delivery, gene therapy and cell imaging or tracking. Here we review the main advances in this field over the past few years, explore the application prospects, and discuss the issues, approaches and challenges with the aim of improving application of nanotechnology in the stem cell research and development.