Image: The shoulder of a man with a surgical suture; Copyright: panthermedia.net/JPCPROD

Topic of the Month February 2020

Regenerative medicine: helps the body healing

Severe wounds heal slowly and leave scars. This is why we have been using regenerative therapies for some time now to accelerate and improve healing. They also help to avoid permanent damage. Still, complex applications like replacing organs or limbs will rather remain vision than become reality for a long time. But there are already a lot of good ideas to support the body’s natural healing in other ways.

Regenerative medicine: creating a new body?

Image: Two knees of a woman next to each other, the left knee has a surgical suture; Copyright: panthermedia.net/wujekspeed

Regenerative medicine aims to repair the human body after injuries, accidents or major cancer surgery. Unfortunately, we are still not at a stage where this process can achieve optimal results for every conceivable situation. Having said that, various new methods are on the cusp of breakthrough.

Read the article about regenerative medicine here

rhCollagen: genetically engineered building block for regenerative medicine

Image: A half-transparent red piece of tissue in a glass filled with a yellow fluid; Copyright: United Therapeutics

Collagen is the stuff that holds our bodies together and that houses our cells. In regenerative medicine, it is also the stuff that can be applied to wounds to support healing. However, collagen from animal or human sources has some drawbacks for today’s medicine. This is where rhCollagen from the Israeli company CollPlant comes into play.

Read the interview with Yehiel Tal here

Angiogenesis: light shows blood vessels the way

Image: Computer-generated image of an arborizing blood vessel; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Ugreen

Regenerative medicine aims to replace damage in the body with functional tissue and restore normal function. The first defense for large defects are implants made of hydrogels, designed to promote cell growth. They need their own blood supply, which is a problem when it comes to larger implants because you cannot regulate where and how the blood vessels grow - until now.

Read the interview with Prof. Aránzazu del Campo here

Video

Medical products made of collagen - Biocompatible, elastic, stable

Regenerative medicine often relies on implants and materials that support healing in our body. Collagen has a special significance here. It is compatible to the body and offers an excellent environment for the growing of new cells. In our video, we took a look on where collagen and collagen products for medicine come from.