Introduction. Regenerative medicine and solid organ transplantation from a historical perspective.

Regenerative medicine and transplantation are rooted in distinct but major scientific advancements during the last 15 and 50 years, respectively. To introduce this text, we review the major milestones that led to the development of solid organ transplantation and regenerative medicine. The success of transplantation has led to the need for regenerative medicine. The number of patients waiting for an organ for transplantation has surpassed 117,000. Many of these candidates may not receive an organ due to the limited supply of cadaveric grafts or those donated by altruistic living donors. It is the shared hope that regenerative medicine may one day augment organ transplantation by developing a new source of organs or potentially rehabilitating those that are not transplantable. This chapter summarizes major advancements in both fields including vascular reconstruction, organ preservation, immunosuppression, operational tolerance, novel stem cell sources, biodegradable scaffolds, and new methods to develop vascularized organ units.