Thesis live: Introduction, “contents” draft
Posted by attilachordash on March 19, 2008
From now on I start every “thesis live” post with the standard introduction: In the live thesis building blogxperiment I edit (digest, compile, write, rewrite, delete) my ongoing doctoral thesis in blog posts and put the parts together on thesis live. The title: The physiologic role of stem cells in tissues with different regenerative potential
I am not aiming any perfection, my focus is clearly on getting things (the PhD) done here. Anyway, I found the idea of “writing” a complete, lengthy and formal thesis outdated and inefficient (after all, scientists should conduct nice experiments and publish their results in short, inforich and accessible research papers in order to share it ASAP with the research community, not in book-length, otherwise unaccessible PDFs) and so I try to keep myself motivated by
- doing this “thesis live” series as an open science experiment and getting useful feedback from my fellow scientists and readers
- trying to include as many systemic, whole body level material into it that could be relevant for systemic regmed approaches
- reminding myself every day that without a PhD it is hard to move further in science officially (that’s the least motivating factor though as it is official)
After the blah-blah let’s start with the planned introduction points:
1. Introduction:
1.1 Stem cells and regenerative medicine
1.2. Tissues, organs with different turnover and regenerative potential
Gut epithelium,
Blood - hematopoietic system
Epidermis,
Mammary epithelium,
Vascular endothelium,
Liver,
Adrenal cortex,
Pancreas,
Lung parenchyma,
Brain - central nervous system
Heart,
Skeletal muscle,
Retina,
Kidney,
Spinal Cord
1.3 Repair/Regenerative mechanisms
differentiation
fusion
paracrine factors
immunomodulatory effects
anti-inflammatory effects
mitochondrial transfer
1.4 Functional improvements through stem cells
March 21, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Hi,
I’m completely biased, of course, but I think it is misplaced to write about stem cells without having some discussion of normal development of those mature tissues you propose. Embryology might also help you structure that part, by grouping organ systems according to primary contributions from different branches of the differentiation tree over time. For example, you could discuss nearly purely mesodermal derivatives: blood, muscle, heart; separately from endodermal organs with a heavy mesodermal component: lung, pancreas, liver, gut; and from ectodermal derivatives such as your mammary epithelia, CNS, retina, peripheral nervous system (which was left off the list), and adrenal cortex.
Just a thought.
Also, I’d suggest you aim to write a complete, *short* and formal thesis. You’ll make everyone happier, trust me.
March 21, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Oh yes, and what about the gonads and their ultimate stem cells?
March 21, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Sure, probably it worth grouping the organ systems in developmental ways too but I am more interested in the different turnover/regenerative potential partition, for instance mesodermal blood and ectodermal epithelium have high cellular turnover/regenerative potential, while ectodermal brain and mesodermal heart have low cellular turnover/regenerative potential, on the other hand mesodermal skeletal muscle and endodermal pancreas have a lower turnover, while higher regenerative potential.
Maybe it would be interesting to overlap the developmental origin/turnover/regenerative potential and to look for correlations.
Adrenal cortex said to be mesodermal.
March 28, 2008 at 1:42 am
Good luck Attila — I’m glad that I’ll never have to write a thesis again!
March 28, 2008 at 9:40 am
Thanks, Alex it’s now time for me.
April 4, 2008 at 8:46 am
This is great Attila!
I hope you get lots of good feedback.
April 4, 2008 at 10:15 am
Thank you, Jean-Claude, hope I get enough and hope I finish in time.
April 18, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Way to go Attila