Stem cell update: highlights from the 2010 Lugano Stem Cell Meeting.

The 2010 edition of the Lugano Stem Cell Meeting, under the auspices of the Swiss center of excellence in cardiovascular diseases "Cardiocentro Ticino" and the Swiss Stem Cell Foundation, offered an update on clinical, translational, and biotechnological advances in regenerative science and medicine pertinent to cardiovascular applications. Highlights from the international forum ranged from innate mechanisms of heart repair, safety, and efficacy of ongoing and completed clinical trials, novel generations of stem cell biologics, bioengineered platforms, and regulatory processes. In the emerging era of regenerative medicine, accelerating the critical path from discovery to product development will require integrated multidisciplinary teams to ensure timely translation of new knowledge into validated algorithms for practice adoption.