Sisyphus, the Giffen's paradox and the Holy Grail: Time for organ transplantation to transition toward a regenerative medicine-focused type of research

摘要

In the past 20 years, over 160 patients have received organs manufactured from autologous cells, whic- in most cases - were seeded and expanded on a supportive scaffold and eventually transplanted into a patient, without any need for immunosuppression (IS) at any time after the implantation [2-7]. With these significant achievements, organ bioengin-eering and regeneration (OBR), a field of health sciences falling under the umbrella of regenerative medicine (RM), has shown the potential to revolutionize organ transplantation by addressing the two most urgent concerns: the need for an inexhaustible source of organs and the accomplishment of an IS-free state (IFS; more commonly referred to as tolerance).