One of the most exciting scientific advances with great clinical promise in the dawn of the 21 st century is the advent of STER science and medicine. The term “STER” science is my new acronym for the increasingly intertwined fields of Stem cell, Tissue Engineering, and Regenerative sciences, which are currently undergoing vigorous laboratory studies and early clinical trials. In the field of cardiothoracic surgery, they may lead to new therapeutic approaches, such as: stem cell implantation to repair damaged myocardium and improve cardiac function, a procedure known as cellular cardiomyoplasty; tissue-engineered cardiac valves and conduits constructed using autologous cells populated on biodegradable scaffolds, which will require neither anticoagulation therapy nor repeated replacements to adapt to the growing infant or child recipient; and regeneration of tissues and organs such as the limbs and heart. 1–3 The rapid proliferation of new scientific societies, research laboratories, institutes, and companies engaged in the development of STER science in the last several years has been truly mind-boggling. Numerous new scientific journals and papers as well as clinical trial reports are pouring out, again reflecting the amazing advance and interest in STER science and medicine. In this tidal wave of excitement, a question that may be raised here is: can the developing countries of Asia participate and even lead this revolutionary development in science and patient care in the coming years? The rapid emergence of Asia geopolitically and economically in recent years indicates that scientists and clinicians in Asian countries will indeed have the potential to play increasingly important roles in such advances. Japanese scientists are already displaying their leadership, exemplified by the recent creation of the amazing iPPC (induced pluripotent progenitor cells), in which fully differentiated cells, such as skin fibroblasts, were induced to de-differentiate back to become pluripotent stem cells. 4 Clinically, this implies