The ultimate goal of regenerative medicine is to jumpstart the body’s own healing capabilities to restore tissues that have been damaged or degraded due to injuries, age, disease or congenital defects.
Stem cell therapies are frequently mentioned in the press as the cutting-edge of regenerative medicine due in large part to the dramatic restorative results they have the potential to deliver. Stem cells are unique in that they are, to put it simply, the building blocks with which specialized cells are created.
Stem cells are the only cell type that have the innate ability to generate new specialized cells. This essentially gives them the ability to replace, or regenerate, damaged or diseased cells.
From an orthopaedic standpoint, stem cells are often used to treat spinal cord injuries and osteoarthritis.
Stem cells are found in bone marrow and other tissues, such as fat.