Regenerative medicine in head and neck reconstructive surgery

Autologous transplantation is regarded as the gold standard in the treatment of congenital or acquired deformities. However, the availability of autologous tissue for transplantation is often limited. Regenerative medicine aims to activate individuals' own intrinsic regenerative mechanisms and embraces tissue engineering, cell/system biology, gene therapy and stem-cell biology. Most approaches in tissue engineering are based on the expansion of small autologous cell aggregates. Tissue engineering supplemented by isolated and amplified stem cells is another very promising option for producing autologous transplants and getting over the limited availability. The association of stem cell-based tissue engineering and gene therapy allows the creation of regenerative tissue in the optimal ambience of regulatory proteins. This leads to great opportunities in the transplantation of skin, bones or cartilage. This paper presents the current status and the possible benefits, but also the limitations, of regenerative medicine in reconstructive surgery of the head and neck.