Regenerative medicine has rapidly developed over the past decade and created new opportunities to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost because of congenital defects, age, diseases, or serious damage （Cheng et al., 2016a; Cheng et al., 2016b）. Regenerative medicine strategies in- clude the transplantation of bioactive factors, stem cells, or biomaterials, even the induced regeneration in a de novo, depending on the application （Fu, 2014a; Huang and Fu, 2014）. However, there are several limitations to the use of regenerative medicine in the clinic with respect to using stem cells and biomaterials.
Regenerative medicine(RM)is an emerging interdisciplinary field of research.Its clinical application focuses on the repair,replacement,and regeneration of cells,tissues,and organs by approaches including cell reprogramming,stem cell transplantation,tissue engineering,activating factors,and clone treatment.RM has become a hot point of research in China and other countries.China's main and local governments have attached great importance to RM and given strong support in relevant policies and funding.About 3.5 billion RMB has been invested in this field.Since 1999,China has established about 30 RM centers and cooperates with many advanced countries in RM research and benefits from their cooperation.However,China needs to develop standards,regulations,and management practices suitable for the healthy development of RM.In this review,we focus on its great demand,capacity,and relative regulations.
Dear editor,Scar hyperplasia and contracture may occur both during the spontaneous healing process of burn injuries and after surgical correction of burn-injury-related hand dysfunction or deformity such as ulnar claw.[1] Pressure gloves, capable of suppressing local scar hypertrophy and preventing scar contracture formation through scar tissue stretching, are commonly used during the rehabilitation phase in burn patients.[2] Nevertheless, traditional or conventional pressure gloves have significant drawbacks.
Regenerative medicine(RM) is an emerging interdisciplinary field of research and China has developed the research quickly and impressed the world with numerous research findings in stem cells,tissue engineering,active molecules and gene therapy.Important directions are induced differentiation of induced pluripotent stem and embryo stem cells as well as somatic stem cell differentiation potential and their application in trauma,burns,diseases of aging and nerve regeneration.The products Activ Skin and bone repair scaffolds have been approved and are applied in the clinic,and similar products are being studied.About 10 engineered growth-factor drugs for repair and regeneration have been approved and are used in the clinic.Gene therapy,therapeutic cloning and xenotransplantation are some of the strategies being studied.However,China needs to develop standards,regulations and management practices suitable for the healthy development of RM.Aspects that should be strengthened include sound administrative systems,laws,and technical specifications and guidelines;conservation of stem cell resources;emphasis on training and retention of talented stem cell researchers;and reasonable allocation of resources,diversification of investment and breakthroughs in key areas.Finally,broad and deep international cooperation is necessary.
