Lung restoration, growth and regeneration

Abstract

Human lungs are generally not believed to repair or regenerate, and regenerative medicine in the field of respiratory organs, especially lungs, is far behind in comparison with those of other organs. Regenerative medicine is defined as medicine that replaces or regenerates human cells, tissue, or organs to restore or establish normal functions. On the other hand, lung transplantation is a last resort for patients suffering from end-stage lung diseases, and more than 4,000 cases have been performed worldwide. However, the number of patients on the waiting list largely exceeds the number of available transplantable lungs because of a severe short supply of organ donors. Lung regenerative medicine may be a solution for the serious issue to restore injured lungs or to supply transplantable functional lungs. We herein describe lung restoration, lung growth, and lung regeneration, which are related to lung transplantation.