Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative Medicine is a fastly emerging interdisciplinary field of research and clinical therapies on the repair, replacement or regeneration of cells, tissues or organs in congenital or acquired disease. This new field of research and clinical develop
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Gustav Steinhoff Editor
Regenerative Medicine From Protocol to Patient
Editor Gustav Steinhoff, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Director Medical Faculty, Department of Cardiac Surgery and Reference and Translation Center of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy (RTC) University of Rostock, Schillingallee 35, 18057 Rostock, Germany [email protected]
ISBN 978-90-481-9074-4 e-ISBN 978-90-481-9075-1 DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9075-1 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Foreword
Regenerative Medicine is a fastly emerging interdisciplinary field of research and clinical therapies on the repair, replacement or regeneration of cells, tissues or organs in congenital or acquired disease. This new field of research and clinical development focussing on stem cell science and regenerative biology is just starting to be the most fascinating and controversial medical development at the dawn of the twenty-first century. It can be envisaged that this development will establish completely new molecular and cellular techniques for medical therapy. An early scientific trigger was set more than 100 years ago by the physiology of blood regeneration (Hall and Eubanks 1896) and successful vascular surgical techniques for organ transplantation (Carrel and Guthrie 1905). However, the clinical realization of allogenic blood transfusion lasted until the discovery of the blood group antigens (Landsteiner and Levine 1928) and successful routine allogenic organ and bone marrow transplantation even until the end of the last century. Similar to the field of allogenic cell and organ transplantation it seems that Regenerative Medicine again condenses mankind’s visions, hopes, and fears regarding medicine: Hopes of eternal life and effective treatment of uncurable disease as well as fears of misuse of technology and uncontrolled modifications of life are polarizing the scientific field. The development and public acceptance of new ethical and regulatory guidelines is a necessary process to support the further clinical development. Nevertheless, the vision of a new medicine using the regenerative power of biology to treat disease and restructure the organism is setting the aim for scientific, technological and medical development. Viewing the great expectations to restructure and regenerate tissue, organs or organisms the current attempts of scientist and physicians are still in an early phase of development. The field of Regenerative Medicine has developed rapidly
