Recent advances in stem cells and regenerative medicine.

Abstract

There have been many recent advances in our understanding of stem cell biology, tissue regeneration and organ repair mechanisms. This is accompanied by a significant increase in the number of stem cell therapy, cell therapy and regenerative medicine studies being published. These studies range from basic studies in animal models to clinical trials. This increased potential for regenerative medicine is timely, given the increasing burden of chronic disease and disability. Although pharmaceutical approaches to chronic disease have been transformative, many diseases result in chronic organ and tissue damage that is unlikely to be solved through conventional pharmaceutical approaches. To tackle these chronic and important disabling conditions, it is likely that a new approach will be required which has been termed regenerative medicine. The broad approaches of regenerative medicine are: (i) to understand the intrinsic repair mechanisms within tissues to try and promote these to improve healthy regeneration and reduce pathological wound healing responses such as excessive scarring and (ii) develop cell therapies whereby exogenous cells can be transplanted into tissues to help repair the damaged tissue or organs. With an improved understanding of stem cell biology and tissue repair mechanisms there have also been rapid advances in the creation of artificial substrates or artificial niches for stem cells …