regenerative medicine

noun

: a branch of medicine concerned with developing therapies that regenerate or replace injured, diseased, or defective cells, tissues, or organs to restore or establish function and structure

Note: Regenerative medicine treatments include stem cell therapy to stimulate tissue repair and regeneration at the site of damage or the transplantation of tissues or organs made or grown outside the body.

Companies are trying to harness the [stem] cells to rebuild hearts, bone, blood and other tissues, part of a field coming to be called regenerative medicine.

—Andrew Pollack

Regenerative medicine holds promise for the treatment of degenerative and genetic diseases. One goal is to rejuvenate damaged tissue by establishing processes for the transplantation of pluripotent or multipotent stem cells, which are able to differentiate into a wide range of cell types.

—Joan C. Marini et al.

They were hailed as pioneers leading the world toward an amazing future of regenerative medicine in which doctors will make replacement parts to order. Since then, 14 other patients have received bioengineered tracheas.

—Gretchen Vogel

In an initiative to speed treatments for wounded soldiers, the U.S. Department of Defense … is entering the fast-growing field of regenerative medicine.

—Constance Holden

Examples of regenerative medicine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It is commonly used in sports medicine, regenerative medicine and wellness settings with the goal of promoting the healing of tendons, ligaments, muscles and other soft tissues. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Several participants in clinical studies have become insulin-independent for extended periods, suggesting regenerative medicine could eventually replace lifelong insulin injections for certain patients. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 July 2026

And regenerative medicine, cellular therapies, protein engineering, and synthetic biology while opening entirely new therapeutic frontiers raise the conundrum of who will pay for them. — Steve Brozak, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

At Auragens Regenerative Medicine and Research Institute, regenerative medicine has become the centerpiece of a growing longevity movement, attracting A-listers and wellness obsessives seeking access to therapies unavailable at home. — Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for regenerative medicine

• biomedicine
• telemedicine

Medical Definition

regenerative medicine

noun

: a branch of medicine concerned with developing therapies that regenerate or replace injured, diseased, or defective cells, tissues, or organs to restore or establish function and structure

Note: Regenerative medicine treatments include stem cell therapy to stimulate tissue repair and regeneration at the site of damage or the transplantation of tissues or organs made or grown outside the body.

Regenerative medicine holds promise for the treatment of degenerative and genetic diseases. One goal is to rejuvenate damaged tissue by establishing processes for the transplantation of pluripotent or multipotent stem cells, which are able to differentiate into a wide range of cell types.

—Joan C. Marini et al.

They were hailed as pioneers leading the world toward an amazing future of regenerative medicine in which doctors will make replacement parts to order. Since then, 14 other patients have received bioengineered tracheas.

—Gretchen Vogel