MicroRNAs and regenerative medicine.

MicroRNAs, identified only relatively recently, are regulators of gene expression with potential medical benefits. The combination of microRNAs and regenerative medicine is an emerging interdisciplinary medical field that can yield exciting new possibilities for clinical medicine. In this paper, we review the prospects of microRNAs as future therapies in regenerative medicine. Recently, researchers have demonstrated the crucial roles of microRNAs, not only in the differentiation and proliferation of stem cells, which have a key function in the regeneration and transplantation of organs, but also in oncogenesis. Several lines of indirect evidence show that the initiation and maintenance of cancer stem cells might also be under the control of microRNAs. Further, microRNAs have been indicated to be involved in diverse biological processes, suggesting the potential role of these molecules in the treatment of diseases.