Aristotle was the first scientist to bring into the humans understanding the concept of Regenerative Medicine, even though it was until recent decades that the field was constructed as it is known now. Today, we refer to Regenerative Medicine as a medical field that include multidisciplinary research aimed towards clinical applications of therapies that repair, replace and regenerate cells, tissues, organs and systems.
There is a wide lack of treatments that are directed to cure or to change the main origin of the disease, that is why several diseases, especially the ones that are subject of degeneration, have only palliative treatments without favourable results. This lack of success among a long list of diseases make the field of regenerative medicine one feasible way to search for diseases cure from a different perspective without life-long treatments and attacking the principal and initial alteration of the system, the cell itself.
The field includes principally scientific areas that involve tissue engendering and stem cells therapies, both with a wide spectrum from basic research in cells, animals up to the clinical research and patient applications with high interest in translational research. This emerging field is mainly intended to boost the own´s body capacity of healing with a consequent regeneration and replacing of sick cells, tissues and organs.
The options are wide open for the field and is a present reality. There are more than 4,000 registered clinical trials regarding the use of stem cells, from these 372 as cell therapy trials, understanding from these the administration of living cells in human with therapeutic purposes (1). The indications include cancer, neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases inter alia. It is important to highlight that the most part of the treatments in Regenerative Medicine are in several phases of research with the intention to provide this medical option widely as regular treatments in the near future. The commitment of the scientists and persons involved in the field is to potentiate the research efforts, promote convenient communication and governmental regulations in the benefit of the patients.
References
Bersenev Alexey. Cell therapy clinical trials – 2014 report. CellTrials blog. January 22, 2015.
Available: http://celltrials.info/2015/01/22/2014-report/ [Internet].