Focus Areas
Through scientific discovery and clinical research, Mayo Clinic researchers are learning how to trigger the healing response and amplify the signal to regenerate.
The Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics accelerates regenerative science and translational research to patient care. Mayo Clinic is conducting, participating or monitoring more than 130 regenerative medicine projects and clinical trials to:
- Apply cellular and acellular therapies across medical specialties
- Develop tissue engineering therapies across medical and surgical specialties
- Improve the quality of donated organs and make them more viable for transplant
- Reduce inflammation
- Slow down or stop the progressive decline of chronic conditions
- Stabilize patients on waitlists
- Stimulate the healing response
Areas of research focus include:
- Cardiac regeneration. By stimulating the repair capacity of a patient's own stem cells prior to delivery into the heart, researchers are creating new regenerative platforms for patients with life-threatening heart disease. Learn more about the center's cardiac regeneration research.
- Islet regeneration. Researchers are replacing, regenerating and protecting pancreatic islets of Langerhans in the laboratory, which may lead to new treatments for diabetes. Learn more about the center's islet regeneration research.
- Liver regeneration. Investigators are developing and refining regenerative liver therapies and devices for patients who must today wait for whole-liver transplants. Learn more about liver regeneration research in the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics.
- Lung regeneration. Research into lung preservation, recellularization and stem cell-guided cellular differentiation advances novel regenerative therapies for a wide range of lung diseases. Learn more about the center's research on lung regeneration.
- Musculoskeletal regeneration. Musculoskeletal regeneration researchers are creating therapeutic approaches to treat injury, degeneration and malformation of the skeleton, muscles and connective tissues. Learn more about the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics' musculoskeletal regeneration research.
- Neuroregeneration. Investigators take a multidisciplinary approach to regenerating and repairing nerve damage from spinal cord injury, stroke and degenerative neurological diseases. Learn more about neuroregeneration research at Mayo Clinic.
- Plastic and regenerative surgery. Mayo Clinic researchers are developing treatments for congenital anomalies of the face and hands, burns, limb and muscle loss, aging, facial nerve injuries, and other reconstructive needs. Learn more about research on plastic and reconstructive surgery.
- Valvular and vascular repair and regeneration. Creating biological heart valves, identifying new stem cells, and developing ways to enhance blood vessel growth and repair can help treat the underlying sources of cardiovascular diseases. Learn more about the center's valvular and vascular repair and regeneration research.