Imagine a world where you could heal a wound without scarring, where mind-degenerating disorders don’t exist, or where no one waits on a transplant list. Can that some day be a reality? The answer is “Possibly yes!” Once thought unimaginable, regenerative medicine offers the potential to accelerate the healing process to fully restore the health of damaged tissues and organs. These innovative medical therapies of today are showing great promise over traditional medical treatments of yesterday.
In 2007, the PBS series Wired Science visited the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine to explore the question, “Why can’t people regenerate organs or limbs the way lizards can grow back a tail or starfish an arm?” The answer shared with viewers provided many aspects of regenerative medicine and its medical advances. The resultant program, “Body Building,” aired in October and December.
When injured or invaded by disease, our bodies have the innate response to heal and defend. Researchers at the McGowan Institute today are harnessing the power of the body to heal and then accelerate it in a clinically relevant way. They are helping the body heal better, working to restore structure and function of damaged tissues and organs. The goal of this approach is to find a way to cure the affliction vs. treat the symptoms.
Just in case you missed “Body Building” on PBS, watch the program here:
Body Building.
Along with this program, Dr. Alan Russell, Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, weighed in on various aspects of regenerative medicine. Watch and listen as Dr. Russell explains different aspects of regenerative medicine, how it has the potential to cure failing and impaired tissues, and how scientific research is working to make treatments available for clinical use.
Alan Russell: History of Regenerative Rehabilitation
Alan Russell: Challenges of Regenerative Rehabilitation
Alan Russell: Future of Regenerative Medicine
Alan Russell: Ethics of Regenerative Medicine