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

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

When Paolo Macchiarini arrives at Sweden’s renowned Karolinska Institute in 2012, he’s hailed as a pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2023

The ultimate goal of regenerative medicine is to harness the advances of the modern medical age to restore health and wellness in ways once thought impossible. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

In a show of support for the program, first lady Jill Biden on Friday visited Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, N.C., which will receive funds to study regenerative medicine. —Eva Dou, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024

As with so many skin-care trends that have come before, this one is rooted in medicine — in this case, regenerative medicine, which is centered on developing and applying therapies to help the body heal itself. —Jessica Ourisman, Allure, 21 Dec. 2023

In June 2022, the regenerative medicine company 3DBio Therapeutics started Phase 1/2a clinical trials using an implantable living tissue scaffold to reconstruct the ears of people with congenital ear deformity. —Deborah Balthazar, STAT, 7 Dec. 2023

Scott Hoots is the CEO of QC Kinetix, a leader in the regenerative medicine industry. —Scott Hoots, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

Researchers hailed the pioneering transplant as a major advance for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 June 2022

Iraq War injuries prompted the Department of Defense to establish a regenerative medicine program to improve outcomes for soldiers wounded in the line of duty. —Luis Alvarez, STAT, 24 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

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