Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of which eventually merged to form the field of regenerative medicine, a term coined in
1999 by William Haseltine, scientific founder and Chief Executive Officer of Human
Genome Sciences [3].
While organ transplantation remains a primary treatment for patients with severely com-
promised organ function, the number of patients requiring transplantation far exceeds the
organ supply, which has only worsened with an aging global population. Researchers have
employed regenerative medicine techniques to isolate and culture native and stem cells,
engineer tissues, and design treatment modalities for many tissues of the human body. An
estimated 3000 Americans per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), will die from diseases that could have been treated with stem-cell-derived
tissues [4, 5]. This chapter will review the progress that has been achieved in the field of
regenerative medicine.
Basics of Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine combines techniques used in cell biology and transplantation, mate-
rials science, and biomedical engineering to produce biological substitutes to restore and
maintain the normal function of damaged tissues and organs (Figure 4.1). Cells introduced
to a nonfunctional site may stimulate regeneration, promote vascularization, and supple-
ment the production of hormones and growth factors. Scaffolds composed of both natural
and synthetic components play an important role in regenerative medicine by controlling
the direction of new tissue growth, providing the proper niche to restore tissue structure and
function, introducing bioactive factors [6, 7], or attracting cells and growth factors from the
body following implantation [8, 9]. Biomaterials can be implanted without cells to encourage
the normal regeneration process [10].
Tissue specific stem cells
Mesencymal stem cells
Pleuripotent stem cells
- Embryonic stem cells
- Stem cells from somatic cell nucear transfer
- Reprogramming and generation of induced pluripotent state (iPS) cells
- Amniotic fluid and placental stem cells
Cells/tissues
Bioactive
factors
Extracellular
matrix
Figure 4.1
Regenerative medicine: overview of sources and process.
