image by: Lis Ferla

HWN Suggests

Reviving optimism for regenerative medicine

Grim stories about the abuse of regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies have been in the headlines. Hundreds of international stem cell clinics now hawk unproven, unregulated therapies to desperate people. Such stem cell tourism often does more harm than good. But while these stories — and there are many — deserve our attention and regulatory oversight, we shouldn’t let them detract from the positive forward motion of regenerative medicine and the very real potential for individual patients and the national economy.

With the public storyline dominated by unproven stem cell therapy disasters, the FDA has moved to curb these unproven therapies and recently wrapped up hearings…

read full article

Featured

 Growing Organs on Apples

The future of regenerative medicine may be plants.

 Regenerative Medicine: The Promise and Peril

The future for regenerative medicine in AMD surely does look bright. At the same time, the juxtaposition of these two reports serves as an important cautionary tale. As promising as regenerative medicine is, we must take care not to let ourselves get out ahead of the evidence. “First do no harm” has to be our watchword.

 Waiting to Reprogram Your Cells? Don't Hold Your Breath

Nagy admits the promise of personalized cell regeneration is probably too costly for mainstream use, and he believes genomic editing—in which DNA is inserted or deleted—is key to safe iPS cell implants. For his part, Yamanaka is cautiously optimistic about iPS cells as a therapeutic tool.

Articles of Interest

3 Regenerative Medicine Companies That Could Deliver In 2013

Regenerative medicine, which consists of tissue engineering, cell therapies, and healing therapies, is still in its infancy, but is a fast-growing segment in the medical field.

An organ shortage is killing people. Are lab-grown organs the answer?

The medical need for organ transplants far outstrips our supply, and the gap is only getting worse. One possible solution may be to grow custom-made organs for people out of their own cells. It may sound crazy, but it's already happening. Humans are currently walking around with artificial bladders, urethras, windpipes, and vaginas — all grown from their own cells in a laboratory.

Natural: Why Breasts are the Key to the Future of Regenerative Medicine

The fact is, the scientific and regulatory hurdles to getting Cytori’s cells into clinical use will be easier to clear for breasts than for other tissue: Breasts simply aren’t as necessary as other organs, so the bar for proving to regulators that the technology works will be lower. It’s also a booming market. In 2009, women forked over $964 million to plastic surgeons for breast augmentation, which edges out nose jobs as the most commonly performed plastic surgery in the US.

Regenerative Medicine Has A Bright Future

The field encompasses a number of different technologies, including cell, gene, and tissue-based therapies.

Science Fiction Becomes Science-Fact: Two Strategies for Repairing Humans

New breakthroughs in the field of regenerative medicine are allowing us to live longer, healthier lives.

The Future of Regenerative Medicine

Just like the simple act of backing-up your computer has become routine, so too could the act of backing-up your stem cells now, before you regret not doing so in the future.

Resources

Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is the preeminent global advocate for regenerative and advanced therapies. ARM fosters research, development, investment and commercialization of transformational treatments and cures for patients worldwide.

American Academy of Regenerative Medicine

The American Academy of Regenerative Medicine (AARM) and the American Board of Regenerative Medicine (ABRM) are the leaders in setting standards and promoting excellence in the field of Regenerative Medicine, related education, research, publication and certification.

American Osteopathic Association of Prolotherapy Regenerative Medicine

The purpose of the American Osteopathic Association of Prolotherapy Regenerative Medicine is to provide physician training in the basic science, research, clinical diagnosis and treatment for use in the performance of prolotherapy (also known as ligament and tendon constructive therapy) for treatment of pain syndromes, degenerative joint diseases, hyper mobility syndromes, and musculoskeletal pain.

InGeneron

InGeneron is elevating the field of regenerative medicine by translating robust science into proven patient benefit.

Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine

As the name implies, the Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine provides a forum for the publication of studies that explore the potential and essential roles of the immune system in tissue and organ development, maintenance, response to environmental stressors, response to injury, and in the processes of tissue repair and regeneration.

Journal of Regenerative Medicine

Journal of Regenerative Medicine (JRGM) is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal and aims to publish the most complete and reliable source of information on the discoveries and current developments in the mode of original articles, review articles, case reports, short communications, etc. in all areas of stem cells and regenerative medicine...

Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine is a multidisciplinary journal that publishes research and reviews on the development of therapeutic approaches which combine stem/progenitor cells with biomaterials and scaffolds, and growth factors and other bioactive agents.

McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine

The McEwen Centre's vision is to be a world-renowned centre for stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. To achieve this ambitious goal, the team of McEwen Investigators is working together to accelerate the development of more effective treatments for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and spinal cord injury.

npj Regenerative Medicine

npj Regenerative Medicine is a new open access, online-only journal dedicated to publishing the highest quality research into ways to help the human body repair, replace, restore and regenerate damaged tissues and organs.

Regenerative Engineering and Medicine

The Regenerative Engineering and Medicine (REM) research center is a joint collaboration between Emory University and Georgia Tech. REM is specifically focused on endogenous repair or how the body can harness its own potential to heal or regenerate.

Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative medicine replaces or regenerates human cells, tissue or organs, to restore or establish normal function*. Since 2006, Regenerative Medicine has been at the forefront of publishing the very best papers and reviews covering the entire regenerative medicine sector.

Regenerative Medicine Foundation

Our mission is to accelerate regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures

Regenerative Medicine: Could This Be Healthcare's Saving Grace?

Reenita Das , CONTRIBUTOR Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Regenerative medicine is one of the fastest growing biomedical industries in the world because patients are being cured of diseases that were once incurable. Regenerative medicine represents a new paradigm in human health because the vast majority of treatments for chronic and life-threatening diseases focus on treating the symptoms, not curing the disease.

RegenerativeMedicine.net

News of regenerative medicine research and therapies as reviewed by the experts at the McGowan Institute.

RegMedNet

You find a range of posts on RegMedNet, covering regenerative medicine, and cell and gene therapy, from ‘bench to bedside’, from top tips for culturing iPSCs, to industry reactions to the latest FDA approval - the Node

The Niche

The mission of the Knoepfler Lab Blog here at UC Davis School of Medicine is to build stem cell bridges to new treatments and cures through education, outreach, and science.

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine

What may seem like science fiction is happening right here at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. We are an international leader in translating scientific discovery into clinical therapies.