Erina Fatmala

C170257

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Regenerative Medicine

Background

Academic medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, and small private clinics are
advancing therapies in regenerative medicine, a scientific field that is pioneering ways to
regrow, repair, or replace human cells, tissues, and organs that have lost function due to
damage or disease. The field holds promise for providing relief to patients suffering from
organ failure, traumatic injuries, and chronic diseases.1 This rapidly evolving,
interdisciplinary field is transforming healthcare by translating fundamental science into a
variety of regenerative technologies including biologics, chemical compounds, materials and
devices.2

Researchers are developing treatments to regenerate damaged tissues in the body by

stimulating previously irreparable tissues to heal themselves. For example embryonic stem
cell, bone marrow stem cell, and repairing the nervous system with stemcell. In addition to
over 60,000 stem cell transplants annually performed worldwide for the treatment of
oncology and blood-based disorders, it is estimated by ARM that in 2012 cell therapy
products distributed by biotherapeutic companies generated over $900 million with 160,000
patients receiving treatments. It is widely believed that these numbers are easily doubled
when including non-cell-based regenerative medicine products such as scaffolds and other
materials.3

Embryonic Stem Cell

Embryonic stem cells are unique in their ability to renew themselves indefinitely by
producing identical cells. In addition, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions,
they can be induced to give rise to many different types of cells, each with specialized
functions.4,5 In 1998, Thomson and colleagues discovered how to isolate such pluripotent
embryonic stem cells from human embryos in culture.6
 The embryos used in these experiments were created originally for use in in
vitro fertilization (IVF). They existed only in the culture dish and each contained about 20–
100 cells. When they were no longer needed for IVF, they were donated for research with the
informed consent of the donors. Cells isolated from these embryos, when grown in culture,
become pluripotent embryonic stem cells that reproduce indefinitely and are capable of
forming many of the specialized cell types of the body. These cells have the potential for use
in the treatment of life-threatening lung diseases, such as emphysema, interstitial lung
diseases, asthma, lung cancer, and ARDS, as well as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases,
spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid
arthritis, through their ability to generate replacement tissue for damaged cells or organs.7

In addition to embryonic stem cells, there are populations of cells in adult tissues,
often referred to as “adult stem cells,” that appear important for normal tissue maintenance as
well as for repair after injury. In the lung, current evidence suggests that such cells may
participate in repair and re-growth after injury and may originate from within the lung itself
or from distant sites such as the bone marrow.7

Bone Marrow Stem Cell

Blood and the system that forms it, known as the hematopoietic system, consist of
many cell types with specialized functions. Red blood cells (erythrocytes) carry oxygen to the
tissues. Platelets (derived from megakaryocytes) help prevent bleeding. Some of these cells
are also involved in tissue and bone remodeling and removal of dead cells. B-lymphocytes
produce antibodies, while T-lymphocytes can directly kill or isolate by inflammation cells
recognized as foreign to the body, including many virus-infected cells and cancer cells. Many
blood cells are short-lived and need to be replenished continuously; the average human
requires approximately one hundred billion new hematopoietic cells each day. The continued
production of these cells depends directly on the presence of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
(HSCs), the ultimate, and only, source of all these cells.8

The clinical application of post natal stem clls has been demonstated succesfully in
certain circumtances, such as the recovery of haematopoietic bone marrow in cancer patients
using peripheral blood stem cell.9 this long term succes of clinical stem cell therapyhas fulled
investigations into the potential of other stem cells populations. For tissue engineering, stem
cells hold great promise for treating damaged issues. Using stem cells with osteogenic
potential to repair bone defects thus seems a reasonable approach to improve new bone
formation. In 1956, three laboratories demonstrated that the injected bone marrow cells
directly regenerated the blood-forming system, rather than releasing factors that caused the
recipients’ cells to repair irradiation damage.10 To date, the only known treatment for
hematopoietic failure following whole body irradiation is transplantation of bone marrow
cells or HSCs to regenerate the blood-forming system in the host organisms.11
After more than 50 years of research and clinical use, hematopoietic stem cells have
become the best-studied stem cells and, more importantly, hematopoietic stem cells have seen
widespread clinical use.
Refferences

1. Anthony Atala, “Regenerative Medicine Strategies,” Journal of Pediatric Surgery 47,

no. 1 (2012): 17–28, doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2011.10.013.
2. Regenerative Medicine Annual Report. 2013. Available at :
https://alliancerm.org/sites/default/files/ARM_Annual_Report_2013_Website.pdf
Page 3
3. Regenerative Medicine Annual Report. 2013. Available at :
https://alliancerm.org/sites/default/files/ARM_Annual_Report_2013_Website.pdf
Page 4
4. Stem Cell Information. The official National Institutes of Health resource for stem
cell research. Bethesda, M.D.: National Institutes of Health [Modified 2005 Aug 12].
Available from: http://stemcells.nih.gov.
5. International Society for Stem Cell Research. Northbrook, IL. Available
from: http://www.isscr.org.
6. Thomson JA, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Shapiro SS, Waknitz MA, Swiergiel JJ, Marshall VS,
Jones JM. Embryonic stem cell lines derived from human
blastocysts. Science 1998;282:1145–1147. Crossref, Medline
7. Weiss DJ, Berberich AM, Borok Z, Gail D, Kolls JK, Penland C, Prockop DJ.
National Heart Lung Blood Institute/Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Workshop Report:
Adult stem cells, lung biology, and lung disease. Proc Am Thor Soc 2006;3:193–207.
Abstract, Medline
8. Jos Domen, Amy Wagers and Irving L. Weissman. BONE MARROW
(HEMATOPOIETIC) STEM CELLS. Available at :
https://stemcells.nih.gov/sites/all/themes/stemcells_theme/stemcell_includes/D.%20C
hapter%202.pdf page 14
9. Buckner.C,D.(1999).Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant to Haemopoetic Stem Cell
Support with Peripheral Blood Stem Cells:an historical perspective. Journal of
Haemotherapy 8 : 233-236
10. Gengozian N, Urso IS, Congdon CC, Conger AD, Makinodan T. Thymus specificity
in lethally irradiated mice treated with rat bone marrow. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. Vol
96; 1957:714-720.
11. Weissman IL. Translating stem and progenitor cell biology to the clinic: barriers and
opportunities. Science. Vol 287; 2000:1442-1446