What is Regenerative Medicine?

What is Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative Medicine has emerged as a new concept of therapeutic strategies with the promise of engineering damaged tissues and organs by stimulating the body’s own repair mechanisms to functionally heal previously irreparable tissues or organs.¹  In some countries, Regenerative Medicine is a recognized medical specialty (with similar training and standards to other medical specialties), whereas in other countries it is a special interest area but not an actual specialty. Regenerative medicine includes stem cell treatments, tissue engineering and the production of artificial organs. 

Scope

Regenerative Medicine can refer  to the specific medical specialty or subspecialty of Regenerative Medicine. which is now well established in many countries. It can broadly also refer to doctors and other paramedical practitioners who work in a more broad setting. The various regenerative medicine experts often work together as a multidisciplinary team to ensure the best treatment plan for the patients. The Multidisciplinary team of regenerative medicine experts often include orthopedic surgeons, certified chemists, scientists, rheumatologists, neurologists, bioengineers, as well as specialty Regenerative Medicine physicians.

History

In ancient Greece, philosophers wondered if parts of the body could be regenerated in the 700s BC. In the 19th Century skin grafting was developed, that can be regarded as the first attempt to regenerate human tissue. In the 20th century the development and advancement in transplanting body parts encouraged the hypothesis that body parts could regenerate and grow new cells. These advances led to tissue engineering, and from this field, the establishment of regenerative medicine as a branch of medicine began to take hold. This began with cellular therapy, which led to stem cell treatment, one of the current applications of Regenerative Medicine.

Current applications of Regenerative Medicine

Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials

Tissue engineering is one of the current uses of Regenerative Medicine. Utilizes a combination of cells, engineering, materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to regenerate, improve or replace different types of biological tissues. Tissue engineering often involves the usage of cells placed on tissue scaffolds in the formation of new viable tissue for a medical purpose but is not limited to applications involving cells and tissue scaffolds.

Stem Cell Therapies

Stem Cell Therapies refers to the use of stem cells with a therapeutic purpose. Stem cells are special human cells that have the potential to develop into almost any type of cell. Stem Cells are being used to repair other cells in the body, regenerating and restoring organ functionality and regenerating damaged tissue. 

Medical Devices and Artificial Organs

Other applications of Regenerative Medicine are in Medical Devices and artificial organs, that can be defined as a human-made organ device or tissue that is implanted or integrated into a human — interfacing with living tissue — to replace a natural organ, to duplicate or augment a specific function or functions so the patient may return to a normal life or improve his quality of life. Also, a branch of regenerative medicine is the development of  medical devices to aid damaged organs and help patients while waiting for a transplant.

If you are interested in the field of  Regenerative Medicine or wish to find out if it can offer you a solution to any major health conditions or for wellness purposes contact us and find out if and how Regenerative Medicine can help you improve your quality. Contact one of our Regenerative Medicine Science Liaisons at 1 (888) 443 6235 or send us an email to info@progencell.com

References

1.  “UM Leads in the Field of Regenerative Medicine: Moving from Treatments to Cures – Healthcanal.com”. 8 May 2014.
2.  Mahla RS (2016). “Stem cells application in regenerative medicine and disease threpeutics”. International Journal of Cell Biology. 2016 
3.  “What is Regenerative Medicine?”. University of Nebraska Medical Center. University of Nebraska. 2020

A Brief definition or Regenerative Medicine. Chris Mason & Peter Dunnell. 2008