Editorial: Perinatal derivatives and the road to clinical translation, Volume II

This Research Topic issue entitled “Perinatal Derivatives and the Road to Clinical Translation, Volume II” builds upon Volume I to address Research Topic that are critical for moving perinatal derivatives (PnD) from preclinical lab research towards successful clinical application. These two Research Topics are a concerted effort from members of the EU-funded COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action entitled “The International Network for Translating Research on Perinatal Derivatives into Therapeutic Approaches-SPRINT”. Volume II is aimed to summarize our current understandings with regard to the mechanisms and therapeutic actions of PnD, thereby 1) critically discussing basic research data that can be useful for designing clinical trials, and 2) identifying research gaps to guide future research on perinatal derivatives and streamline translation to the clinic. Finally, it will equally well put attention on current clinical trials using PnD and underline aspects that are fundamental to consider for the design of future clinical trials. Understanding the therapeutic potential and underlying biological mechanisms is critical to allow for the identification of which PnD, either by origin, by preparation or by administration, could potentially provide the most optimal clinical benefit for a specific disease, thereby assuming that each target disease may require an optimized approach. To achieve the latter in a preclinical setting, one also needs to carefully consider—and eventually re-evaluate—the relevance and potency of classical and new in vitro assays to demonstrate efficacy and mode-of-action of PnD. In the first part of this Research Topic, focusing on research and clinical studies tackling the above-described questions, Pipino et al. use an innovative in vitro model to better understand the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of human amniotic membrane (hAM) on diabetic foot ulcers. The applied model mimics endothelial OPEN ACCESS