The History of Regenerative Medicine and the Future

Over the past 30 years, scientists and physicians have begun implementing different techniques from different fields to engineer biological cells and tissues to replace existing damaged ones. These efforts have gained results in successfully create substitutes of tissue for blood vessels, heart, nerves and liver. Although not permitted in United States, stem cell therapy has taken off elsewhere in the world and continues making progress in finding cures for

diseases.

Although modern stem cell therapy began during the 20th century, its origins can be traced back to Dr. Charles Edward Brown-Sequa in the 1800s. The term “stem cell” was first proposed by Alexander Maksimov, who was a Russian histologist. In the 1960s stem cell began to making

breakthroughs in mice and as well as bone marrow transplants.

By the 2000s, scientists were able to create human embryonic stem cells, which were a major breakthrough in stem cell research and by 2010; the first trial on embryonic cells was tested on humans. Stem cell research has not only been done to cure human diseases, but it has also been used in efforts to preserve endangered animal species.

Since its origins, stem cell treatment has been welcomed with mixed opinions. Some governments are stricter than others when it comes to what type of research they allow. Questions of ethics have been raised, and to this day this is what has made stem cell treatment controversial. Many religious groups have raised their concerns and are against this type of medicine.

Regardless of the positions of different governments, religious and social groups, there is no doubt that stem cell treatment is the future. While conventional medicine has been able to successfully treat many diseases, stem cells have provided a new way to look at modern medicine and the possibility to cure the incurable.