How human healing is getting a dose of regenerative technology

A lab-grown, fully functional human body organ could soon be a reality as regenerative technologies rapidly advance. In that advancement, a regulatory system will be needed

The regenerative capability of the body allows it to heal by itself most of the time. Ruptures, cuts and bruises are healed as tissue grows and replaces damaged ones. A new set of technologies is ready to aid and accelerate the natural process in an unprecedented manner. 
 

A set of diverse technologies is coming together to recreate human parts, especially for situations where the body is unable to regenerate itself. Material science, biology, additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) can now together recreate organs and bones in a laboratory. Parts of the body are being guided to heal and repair with support from such technologies. 
 

The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), near Boston in the United States (US), is automating the production of human tissue. ARMI was created a few years ago as a non-profit group with member-companies from the world of biotechnology and medicine for producing synthetic human tissue on a large scale. 
 

ARMI has developed a tissue foundry that can grow parts of an organ, using a patient’s own genetics. The foundry will be an automated production line for bio-manufacturing. The production line will include several steps that begin by taking blood samples and extracting cells and then growing them on a minute scaffolding to form regenerated tissue. 
 

The US government has put its weight behind regenerative technologies. A new industry cluster called the ReGen Valley Tech Hub is being established in New Hampshire. The US Economic Development Agency wants the US to be a “global leader in bio-fabrication, producing cost-effective regenerative therapies that address chronic disease and organ failure”, said a government statement. A laboratory-grown and fully functional human body organ could soon be a reality as regenerative technologies rapidly advance. 
 

In India some initiatives have been taken for such technologies. The Department of Biological Sciences and Bio-engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur has been working on bone regeneration. 
 

The global regenerative medicine market size was estimated at $30.43 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.79 per cent between 2024 and 2030, according to a report by Grandview Research. “Recent advancements in biological therapies have resulted in a gradual shift in preference toward personalised medicinal strategies over the conventional treatment approach. This has created opportunities for companies that are involved in the development of biological therapeutics. Furthermore, the rise in the incidence of degenerative disorders has led to an increase in focus on research to discover novel regenerative therapies,” said the report. 
 

Not just organs, technologies are being applied for regenerating the nervous system. Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit American academic medical centre, has said its clinicians, scientists, engineers and other specialists at the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics are taking a multidisciplinary integrative approach to find solutions for various devastating neurological conditions.
 

Human organ regeneration is a new area of work, but several leading biotech companies and research institutions have invested heavily in technologies. The governments of various countries are working on a regulatory structure that can oversee the development of organs and limbs which will be artificially created or parts which will be infused in the body.
 

Multidisciplinary effort will be crucial for success. The use of AI and metaverse, a shared virtual world which people can access via the internet, will accelerate the process. A key challenge for regenerative technologies will lie outside science. Civil society will expect concerns about values and ethics to be included in the regulatory system. Equally important will be affordability. Some fear that health care based on emerging technologies would be focused on affluent patients. As global technology and health care organisations develop path-breaking new solutions for patients, issues of ethics and affordability will define their spread across the world.