Abstract

Engineering Organs: Will the Future Match the Hype?

Martin Birchall, Professor, University College London

Conventional organ transplantation has revolutionised healthcare in the last fifty years. However, it continues to have limitations, including limited donor pools, ethical and technical issues, and the need to place patients on long-term immunosuppression, with consequent significant side-effects. The advent of stem-cell and cell-based tissue and organ replacement and regeneration (‘regenerative medicine’) has led to some offering this new technology as a future alternative for patients with end-stage organ and tissue failure. Some high profile clinical successes have raised expectation, but there remains a substantial gap between what is presently possible, the substantial media and public interest, and the “Holy Grail” of customised organ replacements for all. Here, we discuss what progress has been made, and whether regenerative medicine ever will become truly disruptive technology for mainstream healthcare. Critical scientific advances need to be made in understanding how customised biomaterials can functionally integrate with mammalian tissues, and especially immune and angiogenic responses in order to make a substantial impact on human health and longevity.