Regenerative medicine is a medical field that helps manage disease and injury through treatments used to heal and restore damaged tissues and organs instead of treating symptoms. Many careers within this field use techniques such as tissue engineering, cell therapy, and artificial organ transplants to encourage the body to self-heal. Other careers study the ethics behind regenerative medicine and the technologies used within the discipline. Below are some careers surrounding regenerative medicine.
Tissue Engineer
Tissue engineering is one of the main techniques within regenerative medicine, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Tissue engineers aim to create functional constructs that can repair, support, or improve damaged tissues and organs.
To create these constructs, tissue engineers combine scaffolds—materials used to grow tissues that mimic those within the body, cells, and other biologically active materials to develop the functional products. Currently, tissue engineering is mainly applied with the creation of artificial bladders, small arteries, skin grafts, and cartilage. While other tissues and organs, such as those of the heart, lungs, and liver, have been developed successfully within laboratory settings, transplantation has and use within living patients has yet to be achieved.
However, many of these tissues are being used to test drugs, as they replicate many of the same responses found with patients. The use of these tissues is becoming incredibly important in the screening of medications and could have a hand in the development of the personalized treatments necessary for certain diseases.
Tissue engineers need, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree to find work within research and laboratory jobs. Common degrees include those within the fields of biology, chemistry, and engineering. Further education through master’s and doctoral programs in business, law, or medicine would provide further training for tissue engineers seeking to manage their own laboratories or companies.
Stem Cell Biologist
Stem cell biology covers the field of regenerative medicine involved in the development of specialized cells from mature stem cells. Stem cells are a special type of cell that can be developed into any of hundreds of other kinds of cells found within the body. Stem cell biologists use methods to genetically reprogram stem cells found in the blood and bone marrow to behave like embryonic, or immature, stem cells capable of becoming any desired cell type.
The use of stem cells and stem cell technology opens many doors for the ability to repair and regenerate specialized cells within the body. Stem cell therapies can be applied to many different fields and disease types. Some areas currently being researched include stem cell use in the treatment of liver diseases, bone and cartilage growth, and many forms of clinical trials for diseases such as diabetes. The use of stem cells in clinical trials and laboratory settings make them especially useful as researchers can use specifically developed cells to study the effects of diseases and possible treatments.
Similar to many other jobs within the medical field, stem cell biologists typically earn, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as molecular biology. These degrees are sufficient for most research technician positions, though higher education is usually required for most stem cell related jobs. Undergraduate research within cell biology labs is also an important aspect to consider when one is looking to enter the field of stem cell research.
Bioethicist
While other specialties within the field of regenerative medicine may have more hands-on involvement with treatments and procedures, bioethics is an important component to this particular field. Due to the nature of certain methods used within the field, the ethics of certain tests or procedures is often brought up.
A bioethicist —also called a medical ethicist, health care ethicist, or ethics consultant— is someone who analyzes the ethical sides to health care related actions and provides insight and ethical support for these actions. Within the field of regenerative medicine, some aspects that a bioethicist may encounter are the ethics behind the use of embryonic stem cells, artificial organs derived from animals, and stem cell therapies. Currently, the topic of the use of stem cell therapies is being widely discussed by bioethicists as certain ‘unproven’ stem cell therapies are becoming common.
In terms of schooling, many bioethicists have advanced degrees in fields such as philosophy, medicine, nursing, law, and genetics. There are also degrees and certifications specific to bioethics that can be obtained as well. Typically, bioethicists are involved directly with patient treatment at the request of another healthcare professional, the patient’s family, or the patient themself to consult on the ethics of certain treatments, depending on how the treatments may conflict with a patient’s views.
Throughout the discipline of regenerative medicine, there are many different occupations to look into. Whether you are interested in research, laboratory work, or direct patient care, there are a variety of jobs available with an interest in the field.
About the Author
Oliver Ewy is currently a junior at Northwood High School. He has an interest in various scientific fields and would like to work in medicine in the future.
Sources
Best Accredited Colleges. “Salary and Career Information for Tissue Engineering Professionals.” Best Accredited Colleges, 2021. https://bestaccreditedcolleges.org/articles/salary-and-career-information-for-tissue-engineering-professionals.html#:~:text=laboratories%2C%20or%20academia.-,Education,level%20research%20or%20laboratory%20jobs.
Center for Regenerative Medicine. “About Regenerative Medicine.” Mayo Clinic, 2021. https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-regenerative-medicine/about/about-regenerative-medicine.
Chan, Sarah. “Current and Emerging Global Themes in the Bioethics of Regenerative Medicine: The Tangled Web of Stem Cell Translation.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5985499/.
Intramural Research Program. “Stem Cell Biology.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021. https://irp.nih.gov/our-research/scientific-focus-areas/stem-cell-biology.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. “What is Regenerative Medicine?” University of Pittsburgh, 2021. https://mirm-pitt.net/about-us/what-is-regenerative-medicine/.
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. “Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021. https://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/tissue-engineering-and-regenerative-medicine.
Tarzian, Anita. “Bioethicist- Care and Psychological Support Coordinators.” Educational Committee For Foreign Medical Graduates, 2012, https://www.ecfmg.org/echo/team-psych-bioethicist.html#:~:text=A%20Bioethicist%20is%20a%20professional,ethically%20justifiable%20decisions%20or%20actions.
Comments