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"STER" Science and Cardiothoracic Surgery: an Asian Perspective

Canada

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One of the most exciting scientific advances with great clinical promise in the dawn of the 21^st century is the advent of STER science and medicine. The term "STER" science is my new acronym for the increasingly intertwined fields of Stem cell, Tissue Engineering, and Regenerative sciences, which are currently undergoing vigorous laboratory studies and early clinical trials. In the field of cardiothoracic surgery, they may lead to new therapeutic approaches, such as: stem cell implantation to repair damaged myocardium and improve cardiac function, a procedure known as cellular cardiomyoplasty; tissue-engineered cardiac valves and conduits constructed using autologous cells populated on biodegradable scaffolds, which will require neither anticoagulation therapy nor repeated replacements to adapt to the growing infant or child recipient; and regeneration of tissues and organs such as the limbs and heart.^1–3 The rapid proliferation of new scientific societies, research laboratories, institutes, and companies engaged in the development of STER science in the last several years has been truly mind-boggling. Numerous new scientific journals and papers as well as clinical trial reports are pouring out, again reflecting the amazing advance and interest in STER science and medicine. In this tidal . . . [Full Text of this Article]