4 min readApr 9, 2023 09:54 AM IST
First published on: Apr 9, 2023 at 09:54 AM IST
We know that the human body has an in-built ability to heal itself but it is only now, thanks to technology, that doctors have been able to capture this bio mechanism. This has helped researchers develop restorative and regenerative medicines with which doctors can heal the long-lasting and scarring impact of chronic conditions resulting from stroke, diabetes and osteoarthritis among others. In short, your organs and tissues could be revived, repaired and be as functional as they were before. Examples, according to the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, “include cell therapies (which involve injection of stem cells or progenitor cells); immunomodulation therapy (regeneration by biologically active molecules administered alone or as secretions by infused cells); and tissue engineering (transplantation of laboratory grown organs and tissues).”
Regenerative medicine is a relatively young field of multi-disciplinary research but has already found its way into India. Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital is one of the few institutions in India to explore possibilities and has just launched its Department of Regenerative and Restorative Medicine. Says Dr Paresh Doshi, its new director, “As the name suggests, Restorative Medicine deals with restoring body functions. This can be done through several methods. We can use modern cutting edge technology to restore body functions among patients with cognitive decline. This could be a result of diseases like Alzheimer’s, a post-stroke syndrome, slurry speech or paraplegia following spinal trauma and many such triggers. At the moment, these patients have to live with whatever deficits they might have. However, bio-prosthetic limbs, visual aids and even comparative brain interfaces could help restore the functionality among these patients. We can treat chronic diseases like depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, chronic pain, post-stroke paralysis, memory dysfunction or Parkinson’s. Some of them would be offered as clinical treatment options and others would be as part of a research study.”
For example, the deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)— a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain— has been known to be very effective in controlling symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). “Studies have shown that if deep TMS therapy is applied during an ongoing depressive episode, when the patient is partially responsive to medical treatment, it has the best chance of success. One study showed how deep TMS had significantly better outcomes in controlling depression. Similar benefits have been found in stroke and Alzheimer’s disease,” he adds. “Also, ortho biologics, which use biological tissues found in the human body, such as blood, fat or bone marrow, can be used to treat bone disorders,” he says.
The new therapies have been administered to two patients suffering from severe chronic pain and doctors will need multiple sessions to declare results. At the moment, the hospital offers cell-based therapies in the form of platelet-rich plasma and ortho biologics treatment for avascular necrosis of the femoral head (death of bone tissue due to lack of blood supply).
“We are also using upper deep transcranial magnetic stimulation. We have a state-of-the-art Brainsway’s TMS machine that can offer repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy to patients. This is probably the only and the most comprehensive set-up in the country which can offer rTMS treatment. This is a drug-free, non-invasive approach which uses magnetic stimulation on your scalp to generate a magnetic pulse and stimulate areas of the brain that are responsible for pain, psychiatric disorders and neurological disorders,” explains Dr Doshi.
These therapies, he feels, will define the future of medicine where several disciplines will interact with each other to improve the quality of life of patients. “The future of medicine is likely to change in the next ten years. We would be depending a lot on areas of science that we do not consider as interactive with medicine in present times. Such platforms will not only further development and cooperation among various medical sub-specialities but among various medical-engineering and technological specialities as well,” he says.
As the name suggests, Restorative Medicine deals with restoring body functions. This can be done through several methods. (Source: Freepik) 
Share
