Pushing the boundaries of organs before it's too late: pre-emptive regeneration.

Abstract

Solid organ transplantation is marked by accelerated aging and inexorable fibrosis. It is crucial to promote strategies to attenuate, or to reverse, damage before organ failure. Hence, the objective of this article is to provide insight into strategies, which aim to regenerate or rejuvenate the transplanted organs. Cell therapy with mesenchymal stromal cells is currently under investigation because of their antifibrotic properties. Their ability to promote mitochondrial biogenesis, and to transfer mitochondria to wounded cells, is another approach to boost the organ regeneration. Other teams have investigated bioengineered organs, which consists of decellularization of the damaged organ followed by recellularization. Lastly, the development of CAR-T cell-based technologies may revolutionize the field of transplantation, as recent preclinical studies showed that CAR-T cells could efficiently clear senescent cells from an organ and reverse fibrosis. Ultimately, these cutting-edge strategies may bring the holy grail of a pre-emptive regenerated organ closer to reality.