The global regenerative medicine market had an estimated value of $8.5 billion in 2020. Come 2025; experts expect this to double and reach a staggering $17.9 billion.
With the rise in cancer cases and chronic diseases, that projection is plausible. In 2018 alone, there were about 17 million new cancer cases worldwide. Experts project this to grow to 27.5 million by 2040.
Fortunately, the various types of regenerative medicine may help treat such conditions. There are at least four, all of which aim to establish or restore normal body functions.
On that note, we created this guide on regenerative medicine and its most common types. Read on to discover what they are and what they can treat.
What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Aging, damage, defects, and disease are among the top causes of mortality. At the very least, they impair the functions of the body or even make them cease. Either way, they cause pain and suffering that lead to a lower quality of life.
Regenerative medicine applies or develops new treatments to heal impaired tissues and organs. Its primary goal is to restore the lost functions that result from these impairments.
What Are the Main Types of Regenerative Medicine?
There are four: stem cell therapy, tissue engineering, platelet-rich plasma, and prolotherapy. However, in some countries like the US, not all these have government approval. For instance, the US FDA heavily regulates regenerative medicine devices and products.
On that note, let’s take a look at each of these main types of regenerative medicine.
Stem Cell Therapy
The use of stem cells is one of the most studied branches of regenerative medicine. This is especially true in North America, as it has the largest stem cell therapy market share.
Stem cell therapy uses stem cells, which are the body’s raw cellular materials. They’re “raw materials” because they generate other cells with special abilities or functions. Stem cell therapy manipulates stem cells with the goal of dividing them into new cells.
“Daughter cells” are the cells taken from “parent” stem cells. The “daughters” either form new stem cells or they transform into specialized cells. The specialized cells can have specific functions, such as for the blood, brain, heart, or bone.
Only stem cells have the innate ability to create these new types of cells.
In regenerative medicine, stem cells can help create new cells with specific uses. An example is stem cells’ use to create healthy bone marrow cells in people with sickle cell anemia. In this case, the stem cells get injected into the patient to form new bone marrow.
In the US, the only FDA-approved stem cell products are those for stem cells that form blood. These are the “hematopoietic progenitor cells” harvested from the umbilical cord blood. The FDA also approved their use for treating disorders related to blood production.
Cancer immunotherapy is another example of cell-based regenerative medicine. Its goal is to activate, replace, or restore the immune system to counter cancer. It uses blood cells not only to target but also to get rid of cancer cells.
Tissue Engineering
Tissue engineering (AKA “tissue regeneration) focuses on cell and tissue replacement or restoration. It can also “regenerate” organs. Regardless of what requires restoration, the goal is to restore normal body functions.
Tissue engineering involves the process of combining cells, active molecules, and scaffolds. Scaffolds are natural or artificial materials that can grow new tissue.
The successful combination of cells, molecules, and scaffolds creates new, healthy tissues. Tissue engineers then assemble them into functional constructs. These “constructs” then get transplanted into patients who need tissue or organ replacements.
Skin tissue regeneration is one of the most popular forms of tissue engineering. Artificial skin, such as for burn patients, is one of the few FDA-approved methods.
Another example is soft tissue and cartilage engineering used for degenerative conditions. For example, some products like the BioLab Fluid Flow may help heal skin and soft tissue wounds. Others may help speed up slow-healing injuries such as sprains and strains.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
Whole blood contains plasma, which is the liquid largely made of water and proteins. It’s the plasma that serves as a medium for red and white blood cells and platelets to flow through your body.
Platelets, in turn, are the blood cells that allow the blood to clot. These cells also play other key roles in the body’s healing processes.
The idea behind PRP therapy is to take advantage of the platelets’ healing abilities. PRP injections are some of the most popular forms of PRP therapy. In this case, a specialist injects a dose of a patient’s own platelets into an injured body part.
The goal of PRP therapy is to speed up the healing of injured tissues like tendons and ligaments. This is why they’re a popular idea among athletes, as these folks are prone to sprains and strains.
Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy involves the use of an injectable containing a natural irritant. A specialist injects this into the soft tissue of an injured joint, ligament, or tendon. The natural irritant, such as a dextrose solution, triggers the body’s healing response.
The goal is to encourage the body to recover, strengthen, and repair its damaged tissues.
One example of prolotherapy treatment is for damaged or weakened ligaments. In this case, the injection aims to activate the body’s ligament healing function. Once activated, the ligaments may start to recover and, over time, become stronger.
From there, the stronger ligaments may better stabilize the connecting joints. This improved stability may then also help ease the symptoms of joint pain.
Restore Your Health With Regenerative Medicine
There you have it, all the facts you need to know about the types of regenerative medicine. While research on this field is still ongoing, it has saved at least 17,000 blood cancer patients alone.
That should be enough reason to consider regenerative medicine if you’re ill yourself. It may just be the key to restoring your health so that you can get back on your feet.
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