Regenerative Medicine
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), regenerative medicine is the next step in the evolution of treatments for previously untreatable diseases and conditions affecting millions of people worldwide. Virtually any disease that “results from malfunctioning, damaged or failing tissues” has the potential to be cured through regenerative medicine. Moreover, this technology will be critical in the reduction of healthcare costs now and in the future. According to the HHS, nearly 25% of the national GDP will be devoted to healthcare by 2040. The majority of those projected costs are for “the treatment of diseases that arise from tissue failure commonly seen in the elderly.” Regenerative medicine therapies will help combat diseases in the elderly such as diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration.
Stem cells are rare cells that not only renew themselves, but are capable of becoming specific cells and tissues as needed. Research is currently underway to use these cells to promote the repair of damaged heart tissue, brain tissue, pancreatic islet cells (the cause of insulin-dependent diabetes), and retinal tissue (the cause of macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa).
This new, interdisciplinary field is already making it possible to regenerate damaged tissue in the lab, and human clinical trials to treat a number of diseases have proved very promising. Future developments in the field may allow scientists to “grow tissues and organs in the laboratory when the body cannot be prompted into healing itself.“ The HHS believes that this rapidly growing field will lead to the “creation of fully biological or biohybrid tissues and organs that can replace or regenerate tissues and organs damaged by disease, injury or congenial anomaly.”
While medical advances have extended life in developed countries, quality of life issues continue to affect patients and families on every continent. Regenerative medicine is a relatively “simple” process in that stem cells are often cultured from the patient's own tissue, then processed and transfused back into the body. In addition to treating multiple diseases, the ability to “guide” stem cells to develop into specific tissue types may ultimately benefit patients suffering from severe burns, traumatic injuries and congenital defects.
Regenerative therapies allow for two significant advances over current medical practice:
- The potential to repair damaged tissue in the body to restore full functionality.
- The potential to produce tissues in the laboratory to be transplanted when regeneration is not possible.
Research Potential
According to HHS, regenerative medicine focuses on curing conditions, as opposed to treating them. Regenerative medicine “empowers doctors with the ability to replace damaged tissue with healthy organic tissue that is accepted and functions like (and in many cases, is) the body’s own. These therapies may cure a variety of diseases from diabetes to cancer. "Regenerative medicine has the very real potential to improve the lives of patients while eliminating the cost of current medical care."