There is a great interest for biological regeneration of tissues in
particular by using growth factors. BMPs are at this time the only
growth and differentiation factors discovered with a high potential in
inducing regeneration of tissues like bone, cartilage, kidney, brain
etc. Other indications for BMPs in clinical medicine have been further
explored in laboratories worldwide, including new discoveries in the
field of nephrology and oncology (e.g. in renal osteodystrophy, prostate
cancer in animals and metastatic breast cancer). In the field of
structur/function analysis of BMPs new discoveries have been made
improving our understanding of interactions with receptors and
antagonists which could become important in designing drugs for
preventing and curing diseases like fibrodysplasia ossificans
progressiva.
Covering these points the volume will be of interest to both clinicians
and basic scientists, in particular to those entering this exciting
field.