Center of Regenerative Medicine

**About** The Washington University Center of Regenerative Medicine is a research collaborative of over 80 faculty members committed to advancing the science of regenerative medicine and its therapeutic applications. Regenerative medicine harbors enormous potential to impact the treatment and cure of a wide range of debilitating human diseases. This rapidly developing field invents approaches to enhance the healing process for degenerative diseases, or injured adult tissues and organs, as well as to repair birth defects, either by harnessing the body’s own stem cell reservoirs and reprogramming capabilities, or by engineering tissues ex-vivo. Drawing on the expertise of faculty from the basic science, engineering and clinical departments from the School of Medicine, School of Engineering and School of Arts and Science, the Center aims to understand how to summon the regenerative capabilities of the human body, how stem cells make different tissues and organs in vivo and how to control these processes in vitro, how to employ pluripotent stem cells to model and understand diseases, and to ameliorate the aging processes. Regenerative Medicine Faculty are mentors for PhD students from several programs in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, including Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology; Neurosciences; Molecular Genetics and Genomics; Molecular Cell Biology; and Biochemistry, as well as from the Medical Scientist Training Program, and the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. **Mission** **Advancing regenerative medicine through excellence in collaborative research and education.** Washington University has a long history in foundational research in regenerative medicine. Realizing the need for increased collaboration and unification among faculty working in this area, the Center of Regenerative Medicine was founded in 2013. The Center of Regenerative Medicine embraces a broad understanding of regenerative medicine, including: - Pluripotent and adult tissue stem cells - Cell reprogramming - Cell and tissue engineering - Development, degeneration, and aging As a Center, we strive to facilitate and enhance research in regenerative medicine at Washington University, as well as educate the public on the vast potential that regenerative medicine holds for human health. Ultimately, we hope that our research will lead to advances in patient care.