An Introduction Of Regenerative Medicine

Many of us have all heard the saying that a “lizard can lose its tail,” and bizarrely enough it will grow back. This was always considered impossible for humans, an idea belonging in the realm of science fiction, but now the regeneration of tissue is an extremely realistic possibility. Despite some opinions, this process does not happen naturally, or take place as cinematically as one might imagine. Over the past decade, there have been major advances in regenerative medicine, commonly known as stem cell research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that have the capability to specialize into any tissue. They are most commonly found in cord blood, bone marrow, organ donations, placenta, and embryos . Stem cells are seen by some as a new miracle treatment, encouraging many countries to invest in their research.

The recovery period after large scale injuries could be shortened. The effects are analyzed in an article that states, “True healing could occur thanks to the cloning of their own cells to help the recovery process” (“Pros and Cons” 5). Basically, the process of cloning healthy cells could be used as an aid in replenishing damage of unhealthy cells. This process, if it were to be actualized, could help recovery progress in anything from pulled muscles to the paralysis of an entire limb. In theory, the same research can be applied in other areas. If this technology is paired with stem cell research, it could result in a method of repairing physical damage. An article that focused on advances in biotechnology stated that “Another use of cloned stem cells could be the growth of replacement tissues in the laboratory” (LaPensee 15). Necrosis, apoptosis, and lymphocyte diapedesis all cause tissue damage or death. These tissues could be replaced by cloned cells of healthy tissues. This shortens recovery periods and leads to healthier tissue growth.

Epimorphic regeneration occurs when a limb is regenerated that contains the blastema at the wounded site. Theblastema will eventually regenerate the lost tissue. Epimorphic regeneration can also be reffered to add on regenration, where old cells provide the origin for the regeneration of the tissue that was lost. In the other type of regeneration a blastama is not formed at the wound site. This causes regeneration to occur with drastic rearrangement of any remaining tissue. The regeneration is classified based on whether the blastema is formed near the wound site or not.

These cells can grow into many things such as organs, tissues, muscles, or blood. These cells are able to renew themselves through cell division. One of the most unique aspects to these cells are they are able to replenish and repair themselves as long as the person is alive. This can be seen most commonly in red cells of the bone marrow. These cells are continuously repairing and replacing damaged and old cells. Because of stem cells unique ability to renew themselves into new cells, scientist have shown great interest in these cells. Stem cells that are being studied most by scientist are embryotic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem

One question that is commonly asked is “Why can’t humans regrow their limbs like a lizard?” the answer to that question is no not naturally. That is because lizards have specialized cells that can change from one type of body cell to another. For example when rebuilding the tail the lizard will need a muscle cell. Soon after that a skin cell will “reprogram” to become a muscle call for the new tail. That is why humans cannot regrow limbs naturally. There is still hope that one day human will have a treatment that will allow us to regrow limbs. Scientists at Rikens Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe Japan conducted an experiment where they took stem cells put them into a human brain and “rewired” them to form a fully functioning

Embryonic stem cells are repairing damaged tissues in the body. Scientists have find a way to replace damage hearts. The United States heart failure affects more than 400,000 people a year. With the use of stem cells can be used to reconstruct the heart

“Through the isolation and manipulation of cells, scientists are finding ways to identify young, regenerating ones that can be used to replace damaged of dead cells in diseased organs. This therapy is similar to the process of organ transplant, only the treatment consists of the transplantation of cells rather than organs. The cells that have shown by far the most promise of supplying diseased organs with healthy cells are called stem cells.” (Chapter Preface)

After a heart attack, the heart is unable to regenerate cardiac muscle cells known as myocytes which diminishes the heart’s pump function. The heart tries to heal itself by changing the damaged or dead heart muscle cells into scar tissue. However, the scar tissue cannot function as a muscle so it does not contribute to the cardiac contractile force. Overtime, this leads to a greater burden on the remaining viable heart muscle which eventually leads to heart failure. Current treatments such as autologous grafting and commercially available fillers incur donor-site morbidity and volume loss over time. Other transplantation therapies do not directly address the loss of cardiac myocytes, which leads to the drive for more research in cardiac regeneration.

Regenexx is offering non-surgical treatment for orthopedic indications such as arthritis, bursitis, ligament tears and much more. According to their website, The Regenexx is the longest running stem cell therapy company in the United States. Company’s co-founder Dr. Christopher Centeno is a founding member of the International Cellular Medicine Society and one of the most experienced physicians of clinical use of adult stem cells in the world.

Around the globe, organ transplant waiting lists are overflowing with people who will never be able to receive the organs they need to survive. War veterans, accident victims, and those who have succumb to the loss of a limb from some other means endure a profoundly impaired quality of life. At the same time, several animal species are able to inconsequentially endure similar situations because of their remarkable inherent ability to fully regenerate many parts of their body. This ability to regenerate damaged or completely lost tissues and organs is greatly coveted by our species and has been the subject of scientific scrutiny for more than a century. Although the mechanisms responsible for this capability are being discovered and mapped at increasingly accelerated rates, much work is left to be done towards solidifying a thorough understanding of regeneration, let alone applying this knowledge to regenerative medicine.

Doctors and scientists have made advances in moving regenerative medicine which takes advantage of the body's own mechanism of healing itself by using healthy adult stem cells which are found throughout the body and moving it into mainstream as a treatment for many diseases. As an alternative to surgery, the stem cell treatments are effectively used to restore damaged or aging cells to regenerate tissue. Regenerative medicine(stem cell treatments) are showing promise in nerve restoration, orthopedic medicine, wound care, and in many other conditions like autoimmune, cardiovascular and neuromuscular.

The classic idea that provided the primary motivation for stem cell therapy is that delivery of the appropriate stem cells would repair a damaged heart via active myocardial regeneration resulting from transdifferentiation of the administered stem cells.19

stem cell state, just like the way in which iPSC’s are produced, but recent research has shown ways in which adult cell types in general could potentially be reprogrammed to other cell types in the laboratory (5). This means that if this process was perfected, not only will stem cells themselves be able to be reprogrammed, but eventually all cell types in the body. It is evident that this would be a major breakthrough for modern medicine and it is limitless on the impact it would make to current treatment methods and even many diseases and conditions. For example, after a portion of the heart experiences a heart attack, that area is then dead and can not be revived, but if reprogramming could be used on general cell types, this could change fibroblast in the scar tissue present into fully functional cardiac cells, reversing the damage done by the heart attack (4). This would be a major future implication if the process of reprogramming could potentially be mastered in general cell types (5).

Researchers have been conducting studies that could bring us closer to a breakthrough in regenerative medicine. Scientifically, regeneration means the process of regrowth of damaged or lost tissue. When the human body has become fully matured, around the age twenty-five human organs, such as the liver can be regenerated. If any damage is caused to the liver it is capable of regenerating itself, although it may not fully return to its original state. Our skin can also be classified as undergoing regeneration, as it is continually being renewed through peeling. Although humans are capable of a small form of regeneration we are incapable of regenerating complex organs with complete function after surgery or amputation. With that said, this information has lead me to question whether or not scientific technology is able to trigger tissue regeneration within the human body?

Lately, there is an emerging innovation whereby organs are created to form and increase in size by a process of inorganic accretion, from the patient’s cell. This field of medicine is known as the regenerative medicine. In addition to this, there are basically various types of regenerative medical