Regenerative medicine aims to restore and replenish damaged or worn tissue and organs using the body’s own cellular resources. Overall, this medicine is designed to cure otherwise untreatable diseases and injuries. The treatments of regenerative medicine include in vivo, which studies the stimulation of repairs inside the body, and in vitro, which implants a certain treatment directly inside the body.
What are its uses?
- Cells
Cellular therapies, including stem cells, act as a repair system for tissues lost to trauma, disease, and natural aging. For example, people suffering from leukemia need new cells because healthy ones were destroyed during treatment. These new cells most commonly come from bone marrow. - Artificial Organs
This medicine has the capability of creating new body parts using a person’s own cells. These organs are lab grown and come directly from the cells of its host. So far, scientists have grown a bladder and trachea for implantation. Other possible organs for future creation are the heart, lungs, and liver. - Tissue
Using a person’s own cells to create new ones allows a regrowth of damaged tissue. Scientists can regrow faulty heart valves without the risk of patient rejection while maintaining the organ’s function.
Regenerative medicine also allows researchers to test on lab-grown organs for drug development and personalized medicine advances. Furthermore, this ensures fewer test animals. Using the body’s own repair system, this alternative approach aims to heal bones, burns, blindness, deafness, joints, and more.
