This book provides a state-of-the-art compendium on the role of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans during development and in cancer. It also suggests directions for novel therapeutic and biotechnological applications in stem cell biology.
Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans, as part of the extracellular matrix, are multifunctional modulators of growth factor, cytokine, integrin and morphogen signaling, which determine both self-renewal, senescence and/or differentiation of stem cells during development. Since proteoglycans modulate cell adhesion and migration they are important organizers of the extracellular matrix within the proper stem cell niche. A malfunctioning of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans contributes to the cancer stem cell phenotype, which is linked to therapeutic resistance and recurrence in malignant disease.
This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the extracellular matrix and its role in development.

The series Biology of Extracellular Matrix is published in collaboration with the American Society for Matrix Biology.

Professor Martin Götte

Martin Götte is a Professor at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University of Münster, Germany. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Göttingen/Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in 1997. Following a postdoctoral training at the Department of Cell Biology of Harvard Medical School, and a group leader position at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry of Münster University in 2000, he holds a tenured position as Head of Research in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics since 2003. His main areas of research are the role of Syndecans, Decorin, and glycosaminoglycan biosynthetic enzymes in cancer and inflammation. He is spokesman of the University in the Federal State network for stem cell research and chairman of the board for the reproduction section of the German Society for Endocrinology. He is editorial board member of four Science Citation Index (SCI) listed journals and has authored more than 155 publications.

Professor Karin Forsberg-Nilsson

Karin Forsberg-Nilsson is a Professor of Stem Cell Research at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University, Sweden, SciLifeLab Faculty, and Guest Professor at University of Nottingham, UK. She is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Uppsala University. Her PhD was obtained in 1992 from Uppsala University she trained as a postdoc at the National Insititutes of Health, US. She held leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry, and after returning to academia, focused her research on neural stem cells and brain tumors. The goal of her laboratory is an improved treatment of malignant brain tumors. She has served as Deputy Secretary General at the Swedish Research Council, on the Innovative Medicines Initiative Scientific Advisory Board, and as Head of Department. Professor Forsberg-Nilsson is currently on the Board of Directors for the Swedish Fulbright Commission. She is the author of 80 publications in subject areas ranging from growth factors, stem cells, regenerative neurobiology and cancer.