Regenerative Medicine is an exciting area of medicine that is likely to play an increasing role in the treatments of the future. Injuries and illnesses generally manifest as a set of symptoms that the physician must consider how best to treat, often with pain relief or treatments to alleviate the symptoms. While this is important, Regenerative Medicine looks to go beyond that, aiming to replace or repair the diseased or damaged tissue or organ to restore normal function. This can change how a patient is treated in all areas of medicine.
Combination of fields
The tissues and organs of the body can be damaged in a variety of ways, such as through disease, trauma or congenitally. Regenerative medicine recognizes the body’s innate ability to heal itself, however, the process is accelerated by the advances in regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine does not simply rely on medical knowledge, but draws on the expertise of chemists, biologists, computer scientists, geneticists, engineers and robotics engineers. Ultimately, the goal is to achieve a cure for diseases and injuries that are currently incurable.
Areas that regenerative medicine is focusing on include cellular therapies, medical devices, artificial organs, tissue engineering and biomaterials.
Cellular therapies
Cellular therapy uses the regenerative powers of adult stem cells, of which millions are found in the body. These can be taken from a variety of sources including blood, bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. If adult stem cells are harvested and injected at the site of damaged or diseased tissue, then under the right circumstances, the tissue can be reconstructed.
An example of how this can work is in repairing cartilage damage, something that is common in sporting injuries. As cartilage does not contain blood vessels, it can struggle to heal naturally if damaged. If engineered tissue from stem cells is implanted, it can grow and mature to heal the damage. One doctor who has taken a particular interest in the possibilities of regenerative medicine for his practice is Jordan Sudberg, a pain management specialist in New York and the CEO and medical director at Spine & Sports Rehabilitation. Committed to treating the patient as an individual, he believes regenerative medicine that harnesses and enhances the individual’s ability to heal itself is an exciting trend in medicine that is leading to new and improved treatments for the damage he sees daily in his practice.
Tissue engineering and biomaterials
Tissue engineering uses a biocompatible scaffold that is implanted into the body where damaged tissue needs to be repaired or replaced. Formed into the geometric shape that is required, it attracts cells to form the required shape, using the body’s natural abilities to regenerate.
As the new tissue forms, it can be exercised so the new tissue not only appears as it should but also functions as it should. With huge implications for healing, this technology is still in its infancy, but millions of patients have already been treated with a tissue engineered device. Currently, the most success has been seen in soft tissue regeneration, but with research continually ongoing, the range is likely to expand, revolutionizing the treatment of injury and disease-damaged tissue.
Medical devices and artificial organs
Organ failure is one of the most catastrophic things that can happen to the body, as its ability to carry out vital functions declines or even stops altogether. Without treatment, the prognosis is often dire. Traditionally, once an organ deteriorates to a dangerous state, the treatment has been an organ transplant. While this can be an effective treatment, there is a shortage of donor organs, and many patients die while waiting for a transplant. Even if a transplant is acquired, there are downsides, such as the patient needing to be on immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection.
However, regenerative medicine studies and clinical trials are ongoing. Medical devices and artificial organs that can carry out the functions of organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys are being researched. Already, advances have been seen. Ventricular assist devices (VADs) have traditionally been used to help patients while they wait for a heart transplant. Now, there are some that are being used for long-term circulatory support, staving off the need for a transplant. In time, artificial organs and medical devices could transform the prognosis of organ failure, removing the lengthy wait for organ donation and reducing or even removing altogether the need for drugs that suppress the immune system.
Medicine of the future
The need to treat pain and alleviate symptoms will not go away and is likely to remain the first line of treatment for injuries and illnesses. However, regenerative medicine can transform what happens next, replacing the management of symptoms and long-term pain relief with a permanent solution that may use the body’s natural healing abilities or replicate them as faithfully as possible. This makes it one of the most exciting medical fields. It is likely that regenerative medicine will play an ever-increasing role in the future.
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