Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
J Pediatr Surg. 2012 Jan;47(1):17-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2011.10.013.
Applications of regenerative medicine technology may offer novel therapies for patients with injuries, end-stage organ failure, or other clinical problems. Currently, patients suffering from diseased and injured organs can be treated with transplanted organs. However, there is a severe shortage of donor organs that is worsening yearly as the population ages and new cases of organ failure increase. Scientists in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering are now applying the principles of cell transplantation, material science, and bioengineering to construct biological substitutes that will restore and maintain normal function in diseased and injured tissues. The stem cell field is also advancing rapidly, opening new avenues for this type of therapy. For example, therapeutic cloning and cellular reprogramming may one day provide a potentially limitless source of cells for tissue engineering applications. While stem cells are still in the research phase, some therapies arising from tissue engineering endeavors have already entered the clinical setting successfully, indicating the promise regenerative medicine holds for the future.
再生医学技术的应用可为受伤、终末期器官衰竭或其他临床问题的患者提供新的治疗方法。目前，患有病变和受损器官的患者可以通过移植器官进行治疗。然而，供体器官严重短缺，随着人口老龄化和新的器官衰竭病例增加，这种短缺情况每年都在恶化。再生医学和组织工程领域的科学家现在正在应用细胞移植、材料科学和生物工程的原理来构建生物替代品，以恢复和维持病变和受损组织的正常功能。干细胞领域也在迅速发展，为这种治疗方法开辟了新的途径。例如，治疗性克隆和细胞重编程有朝一日可能为组织工程应用提供潜在无限的细胞来源。虽然干细胞仍处于研究阶段，但一些源自组织工程努力的疗法已经成功进入临床环境，这表明再生医学在未来具有广阔的前景。
