title: The future of replacement and restorative therapies: from organ transplantation to regenerative medicine.
abstract: As we continue to have severe shortages of organs for transplantation, we need to consider alternatives for the future. The most likely to make a real difference in the long term is regenerative medicine (RM), a field that has emerged from the conjunction of stem cell biology and cell therapies; gene therapy; biomaterials and tissue engineering; and organ transplantation. Transplantation and RM share the same essential goal: to replace or restore organ function. Herein I briefly review some major breakthroughs of RM that are relevant to the future of organ transplantation, with a focus on the needs of people in the developing world. A definition of RM is provided and the ethical, legal, and social issues are briefly highlighted. In conclusion, I provide a projection of what the future may be for RM.
authors: Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Sandra Rotman Centre, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: a.daar@utoronto.ca.
authors: A S
authors: AS
authors: Daar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000639:trends*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000639:trends*