When Adrienne Shapiro's daughter, Marisa, was diagnosed with sickle cell disease, the doctor said she would not live on her first birthday. However, when Marissa managed to go beyond the benchmark, it did not mean the end of Adrienne's concerns. In fact, this is the beginning of many painful blood transfusions and immune diseases. When the incorrectly matched blood transfusion caused a serious reaction leading to Marissa cholecystectomy and temporary renal failure, she could no longer receive blood transfusions.

Fortunately, however, the Marissa project sponsored by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine [CIRM], led by Don Kohn, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, is conducting a clinical trial. The goal of the project is to “remove bone marrow from patients and repair genetic defects in hematopoietic stem cells. These cells can then be reintroduced into the patient to create a new, healthy blood system. The success of this clinical trial is Adrienne Brought hope that by helping regenerative medicine, her daughter will be able to lead a healthy and painless life.

The Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison describes "regenerative medicine" as from

 “A new science and medical discipline that focuses on harnessing the power of stem cells and the body's own ability to regenerate to restore the function of damaged cells, tissues and organs.”

Stem cells found in cord blood of newborns have the ability to renew and self-regenerate. Through the mitotic process, stem cells can divide into specialized cells like brain cells or muscle cells, or keep stem cells. They are also able to repair internal injuries caused by any type of disease, disorder or trauma. Stem cell transplantation, stem cell transplantation and regenerative medicine are some of the methods these cells use to treat diseases and diseases.

Regenerative medicine includes a wide range of scientific disciplines such as biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology and immunology. Scientists from these fields have been conducting research and research in this field and have identified three methods of using regenerative medicine. They are cell therapy, tissue engineering and medical equipment as well as artificial organs.

Cell therapy – In this method, cellular material [in most cases, adult stem cells] is extracted and stored and then injected into the site of injury, tissue damage or disease. These cells then repair damaged cells or regenerate new cells to replace damaged cells.

Tissue Engineering – This method involves the field of biomaterial development and uses functional tissue, a combination of cells and scaffolds to design a fully functional organ that is then implanted into the recipient's body to replace the damaged organ or tissue.

Medical equipment and artificial organs – When body organs fail, the most common treatment is to replace it with a donor organ. Donor organs are not readily available and may constitute an obstacle in this situation. Even if there is a donor, he or she may need to take immunosuppressive drugs before transplantation, and these drugs are known to cause side effects. In this case, a medical device that mimics the function of a failed organ can be used instead of being transplanted. An example of one such device is a ventricular assist device [VAD] for replacing a heart transplant.

Since regenerative medicine involves the use of stem cells, it occasionally requires embryonic stem cells for research purposes. This use of embryonic stem cells often raises questions about ethics and legitimacy. The laws and regulations on regenerative medicine vary from country to country. Only three countries are legally allowed to create human embryos for research. Most countries only allow cells to be extracted from the remaining IVF embryos. A recent study related to human embryonic stem cell [hECS] research policy shows that the United Kingdom, Sweden and Belgium are very tolerant in the study of human embryos, while Luxembourg, Austria, Poland and Ireland do not. The law on hECS. In most other countries, legislation on hESC is between very restrictive restrictions.

Regenerative medicine is the future of modern medical treatment. Scientists conduct clinical trials and research every day to further strengthen and improve medicine in this field.

What is regenerative medicine? was originally published on Spring