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Regenerative Medicine refers to the branch of medical science that generates ways to replace, repair, or regrow diseased or damaged cells, tissues, or organs. It includes the development and utilization of therapeutic stem cells, tissue reengineering, and synthetic organs. The branch also includes stimulating the body’s natural repair mechanisms for healing. It allows scientists to manufacture synthetic tissues and organs for implants. The field studies on how to fully harness the natural healing and regenerative capabilities of the body.
Regenerative medicine incorporates a wide range of scientific disciplines, such as molecular biology, genetics, immunology, and biochemistry. According to the Australian Regenerative Study Institute, the regenerative medicine studies and research centers on the following fundamental principles:
You can apply regenerative medicine to patients in three ways.
Stem cells can serve as a repair or regenerative mechanism for damaged tissue or organ from an injury or a disease. Medical professionals are hoping that they could use it to treat more diseases or genetic disorders like dementia, multiple sclerosis, leukemia, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Regenerative medicine has the potential to be able to cure many diseases, injuries, and genetic conditions. It might also be able to safely replace any damaged organ or regenerate infected or loss tissues.
In the present, a transplant is the only solution to organ failure from a disease or injury. However, it is hard to look for the perfect organ donor, and there are not enough organs to accommodate the demand. The goal of regenerative medicine is to solve this problem. The science can synthetically produce an organ that will biologically match the patient, thus eliminating the organ rejection complications.
Stem cells can potentially help tissues and organs to repair themselves. It can also help in reversing or preventing damage to vital organs. Embryonic stem cells are highly pluripotent to the point that they can become any cell. They are responsible for our overall growth. It pides, differentiates, and transforms into the other cells we have in our body like blood cells, and nerve cells. According to the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, we can observe this phenomenon on zebrafishes that can repair their hearts.
Regenerative medicine has four available treatments. All are outpatient procedures. The treatment may also require more than one before you can see or feel the desired result. However, it needs further research to be able to guarantee an effective and positive outcome.
The cartilage does not have a reliable blood supply because it does not have any blood vessels. Thus, it naturally prevents damaged cartilage from healing. Medical professionals can apply different techniques but not limited to:
The techniques typically treat damaged articular cartilage that covers bone at the joints, not other types of cartilage such as knee meniscus.
Prolotherapy involves injecting an irritant in the injured area to increase inflammation, which will hopefully trigger faster healing. It is due to the science where the swelling can increase blood flow, thus attracting repair and healing cells like granulocytes, fibroblasts, macrophages, and monocytes. They will commonly use dextrose, glycerine, and saline as an irritant. Unlike other regenerative medicine treatments, prolotherapy has a lesser number of clinical research on its effectiveness.
There is an increasing number of studies that believes in the natural healing properties of platelets and plasmas. Physicians can administer it during the surgery through injection or direct application to the injured area. An extracted blood from the patient will undergo centrifugation to create a concentrated platelet and plasma (PRP). There are various types of PRP therapies that depend on the patient’s blood and the use of other substances.
Stems cells can develop into different cells like a muscle cell, nerve cell, or a cartilage cell. The treatment aims to administer the stem cells to the damaged area to encourage and facilitate regeneration and healing. Medical professionals will collect the stem cells from the patient’s fat, bone marrow, or blood. Some companies sell stem cells from the placenta, cord-tissue, or amniotic fluid to meet the demand for stem cell treatments.
If you are suffering from an injury from sports or an accident, Dr. Ronak Patel is the right pain doctor for you.
He specializes in treating back pain, neck pain, joint pain, facial pain, and cancer-related pain. He acquired advanced skills in the innovative spinal cord and peripheral nerve interventions/ablation, fracture repair through vertebral augmentation, state-of-the-art regenerative therapy, and both ultrasound-guided and x-ray guided procedures while training with the leaders of pain management in the country. His goal is to bring expert, comprehensive, safe, and effective pain care to as many patients as possible.
Dr. Ronak Patel is the founder and medical director of Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute. He is a double board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management specialist that provides professional services in New Jersey with service areas that include Princeton, Plainsboro Township, Hamilton Township, West Windsor Township, Robbinsville Township, and Manalapan.
You may schedule a meeting at any of the Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute clinics for the treatment of back pain, neck pain, joint pain, facial pain as well as cancer-related pain. Their focus is on developing inpidualized patient treatment plans and increasing patient functionality.
Disclaimer: Information on this website is not intended to be used in place of your professional medical advice or treatment. Please consult your doctor or healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.
