Theme: Introduction
What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is the application of the knowledge gained from regenerative biology, to enable the regeneration of biological structures. This is possible by means of manipulating stem cells or with the utilization of genetic engineering. When injured or invaded by disease, our bodies have the innate response to heal and defend. What if it was possible to harness the power of the body to heal and then accelerate it in a clinically relevant way?
The promising field of Regenerative Medicine is working to restore structure and function of damaged tissues and organs. It is also working to create solutions for organs that become permanently damaged. The goal of this field of medicine is to find a way to cure previously untreatable injuries and diseases.
There are four concentrations in the field of Regenerative Medicine:
- Medical devices and artificial organs
- Tissue engineering and biomaterials
- Cellular Therapies
- Clinical Translation
Stem cells form the basic building materials for the human body. This makes them good candidates for restoring tissues that have been damaged by injury or disease. The goal of any stem cell therapy is to repair a damaged tissue that can't heal itself.
Why Is It That Important?
- great need for transplants, histocompatibility issues, various side effects ofimmunosuppresants
(100,000 solid organ transplants, 45,000 tissue and 8,000 haematopoietic progenitor cells transplantations per year – 2007, WHO Statistics) - untreatable neuroedegenerative diseases (i.e. multiple sclerosis)
- autoimmune diseases causing the decay of organs/cells (i.e. diabetes mellitus type 1)
- sever burns, skin ulcers
- cartilage, bones (i.e. facial reconstruction)
- allows for genetical modification
- provides models for studying drugs toxicity
What Is Going To Be Addressed At Ems Congress 2010?
The following subthemes are going to be addressed during the sessions of EMS Congress 2010 in Athens:
- Ethical issues
- Breakthrough research
- Medical Applications
- Stem cells sources
