New Breakthroughs in Regenerative Medecine

Regenerative Medicine for Soldiers

http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/news/article.asp?qEmpID=456

This article contains an interview with a Dr. Stephen Badylak, Deputy Director of McGowan institute.  He is currently researching the possibility of re-growing the missing tissue of wounded soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Some animals and human fetuses are able to regrow lost limbs but for humans that ability diminishes by the time we are born, says Dr. Badylak.  He is trying to figure out why that is and maybe someday discover the key to stimulating new limb growth for injured soldiers.  The military is taking the care of its wounded soldiers very seriously and the Dr. says "The Defense Department is approaching this in a Manhattan Project mode. It's put $100 million on the table to address these horrific problems from a regenerative medicine standpoint."  Life for Soldiers who suffer from these horrible injuries will never be the same and they will live with a reminder of war for the rest of their lives.  One day this technology could be the answer to repair the wounds of these disabled soldiers. 

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine

http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/welcome/

The McGowan Institute is moving full bore on research in the field of Regenerative Medicine.  There scope of research includes:

• The replacement of tissue function with entirely synthetic constructs (such as in artificial organs),
• Functional restoration with constructs that comprise both synthetic and cellular components (such as in biohybrid organs),
• The combination of temporary scaffolds with cellular components (such as in conventional tissue engineering), and
• Cellular therapies, including those involving adult stem cells and genetically manipulated cells (such as for the repair of damaged tissue and muscle).

All very technical stuff but the concept is amazing and once developed will be a huge benefit to soldiers and civilians alike.