Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology
We are constantly undergoing structural renewal by replacing molecular components of our tissues, yet the human body gradually loses effective regenerative capacity as we age. What common set of problems must we solve to understand and manipulate the mechanisms of regeneration in different organs? Do non-regenerating tissues have the latent capacity for regeneration? What are the mechanisms of regeneration in embryos, or in organisms where it occurs more effectively, and what are the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that determine the regenerative versus the cancer-causing capacity of a cell to self-renew?
These are some of the questions addressed by regenerative medicine, which aims to restore damaged human tissues and organs using genes, cells, or other biological agents along with bioengineered materials and technologies. Research in the newly formed Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Monash University, combined with Australian advances in stem cell research within the national laboratories supported by the Australian Stem Cell Centre, as well as specific strengths in stem cell technologies at University of Queensland and tissue engineering at CSIRO and elsewhere in Australia, provide an excellent base to pursue promising avenues in regenerative medicine within the EMBL Australia Scientific Program.
-
uncovering basic mechanisms in regeneration by systems comparison of regenerative capacities amongst diverse animal species
- regeneration of tissues by injecting or implanting regeneration-competent cells (usually derived from adult or embryonic stem cells);
- protecting cells and tissue from damage due to disease or injury (e.g. by preventing cell death);
- inducing regeneration in the tissues themselves by recruitment of a patient's own cells to the tissue or using proteins or gene delivery to stimulate cell division and tissue reconstitution;
- prevention of inflammation and scarring in tissues to better enable the regenerative process.