Regenerative medicine is about more than repairing damaged cells, tissues and organs. It also raises fundamental questions about how we, as a society, deal with new forms of health, illness and medical technology, and about making sure new therapies reach patients safely and responsibly. To make progress towards this goal, we need to bring research, education and clinical application closer together, and work towards an interdisciplinary approach that includes regulation, ethics and patient rights.

A wealth of possibilities

Regenerative medicine offers rich ground for interdisciplinary work: from uncovering the biological mechanisms behind regeneration and translating them into new therapies, to examining what new questions arise around patient rights, liability, regulation and access to care. It also means looking at the societal meaning of new therapies, the relationships between professionals, patients and other stakeholders, and the distribution of opportunities and risks. Regenerative medicine already holds a prominent place in the Leiden ecosystem: it is one of the University's research themes, one of LUMC's social outreach themes, and a theme of the Leiden Bio Science Park. 

However, many of these activities are fragmented, still missing is a stronger connection between research communities, and more visibility for the breadth of Leiden's work in this field.

Short and long term goals

In the short term, the theme aims to bring researchers and lecturers from different faculties into contact, encourage the sharing of knowledge, materials and facilities, and create space for new collaborations. The theme is organised by colleagues from LUMC, the Faculty of Science, and the Faculty of Law. Colleagues from these and other faculties are warmly invited to join.

In the longer term, the ambition is to build on Leiden's unique combination of science, medicine, law, society and the humanities to advance regenerative medicine, train the next generation, and help shape the future of the field.

Join us

Are you working on research, teaching or activities that touch on regenerative medicine, directly or from an unexpected angle? We'd love to hear what questions your discipline raises, and invite you to think along, forge connections, and explore what happens when different disciplines meet. Please contact us via Teams.