Ovarian function and implantation of embryo are critical factors in pregnancy. So, their optimal conditions and tightly regulated networks are necessary in pregnancy as well as fetal development. However, there are limit approach to cure ovarian dysfunction or improve implantation rate despite of the development of associated reproductive technologies. Recently, translational studies have been explored the therapeutic effect of stem cells in reproductive medicine. Placenta derived mesenchymal stem cells (PD-MSCs) have been reported as alternative cell source capable of overcoming the limitation of bone marrow derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) and adipose-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs), which have stemness dependent by donor age as well as invasive procedure. In addition, their activities for self-renewal and immunomodulation were higher than those of others. In this section, we will review the stem cell therapy in reproductive medicine and introduce feasibilities of PD-MSCs on a rat model with ovarian failure as well as on trophoblast invasion activity. Finally, we introduce new insights into further understanding of stem cell-based therapeutic mechanisms for reproductive system as well as new avenues to develop more efficient therapies in degenerative medicine.

• Gi Jin Kim(Placenta Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University)