The Biology of Regenerative Medicine

Ken Muneoka^*

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA.

Abstract: The goal of regenerative medicine is to restore the structure and function of human body parts compromised by injury or disease. Regenerative medicine is a relatively new field that uses multiple approaches and has its roots largely in tissue engineering, tissue transplantation, and stem cell biology. It is becoming increasingly clear that advances in the areas of regeneration biology and developmental biology have the potential to transform regenerative medicine, and David Stocum has produced a textbook that attempts to pull everything together for the next generation of regeneration scientists. Regeneration Biology and Medicine is a terrific reference for anyone toying with the idea of moving into this field. The text offers an enormous breath of coverage of different systems currently under investigation, and Stocum provides a central theme that pits regenerative ability against fibrosis as a way to conceptually untangle the limited regenerative capacity of humans. In writing this textbook, Stocum has erected an umbrella large enough for scientists of diverse backgrounds to initiate conceptual cross-talk between those actively involved in the biology of regeneration and those targeting its clinical application.

*Contact information. E-mail, kmuneoka{at}tulane.edu

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