Professor Martin GötteMartin 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 authoredmore than 155 publications.Professor Karin Forsberg-NilssonKarin 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.

• Chapter 1: Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans in the Stem Cell Niche: Lessons from Drosophila.- Chapter 2: Proteoglycans in zebrafish development.- Chapter 3: The pivotal role of versican turnover by ADAMTS proteases in mammalian reproduction and development.- Chapter 4: Use of chondroitin sulfate to aid in vitro stem cell differentiation.- Chapter 5: Regulatory functions of heparan sulfate in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.- Chapter 6: Proteoglycans as mediators of neurogenesis and stem cell differentiation.- Chapter 7: Syndecan-3: a signaling conductor in the musculoskeletal system.- Chapter 8: Proteoglycans of the neural stem cell niche.- Chapter 9: Heparan sulfate in normal and cancer stem cells of the brain.- Chapter 10: Hyaluronic acid-CD44 interaction in the physio- and pathological stem cell niche.- Chapter 11: Proteoglycans in glioma stem cells.- Chapter 12: Role of Syndecan-1 in Cancer Stem cells.

Professor Martin GötteMartin 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 authoredmore than 155 publications.Professor Karin Forsberg-NilssonKarin 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.

• Chapter 1: Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans in the Stem Cell Niche: Lessons from Drosophila.- Chapter 2: Proteoglycans in zebrafish development.- Chapter 3: The pivotal role of versican turnover by ADAMTS proteases in mammalian reproduction and development.- Chapter 4: Use of chondroitin sulfate to aid in vitro stem cell differentiation.- Chapter 5: Regulatory functions of heparan sulfate in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.- Chapter 6: Proteoglycans as mediators of neurogenesis and stem cell differentiation.- Chapter 7: Syndecan-3: a signaling conductor in the musculoskeletal system.- Chapter 8: Proteoglycans of the neural stem cell niche.- Chapter 9: Heparan sulfate in normal and cancer stem cells of the brain.- Chapter 10: Hyaluronic acid-CD44 interaction in the physio- and pathological stem cell niche.- Chapter 11: Proteoglycans in glioma stem cells.- Chapter 12: Role of Syndecan-1 in Cancer Stem cells.

Professor Martin GötteMartin 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 authoredmore than 155 publications.Professor Karin Forsberg-NilssonKarin 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.

• Chapter 1: Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans in the Stem Cell Niche: Lessons from Drosophila.- Chapter 2: Proteoglycans in zebrafish development.- Chapter 3: The pivotal role of versican turnover by ADAMTS proteases in mammalian reproduction and development.- Chapter 4: Use of chondroitin sulfate to aid in vitro stem cell differentiation.- Chapter 5: Regulatory functions of heparan sulfate in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.- Chapter 6: Proteoglycans as mediators of neurogenesis and stem cell differentiation.- Chapter 7: Syndecan-3: a signaling conductor in the musculoskeletal system.- Chapter 8: Proteoglycans of the neural stem cell niche.- Chapter 9: Heparan sulfate in normal and cancer stem cells of the brain.- Chapter 10: Hyaluronic acid-CD44 interaction in the physio- and pathological stem cell niche.- Chapter 11: Proteoglycans in glioma stem cells.- Chapter 12: Role of Syndecan-1 in Cancer Stem cells.