A Set of Grand Challenges for Veterinary Regenerative Medicine

“Regenerative medicine” refers to therapies that aim to restore normal form and function using the body’s own biological machinery, such as stem cells and biologics. The use of regenerative medicine to treat injury and disease offers new hope to cure previously frustrating diseases and conditions. However, commercialization of biologic therapies in veterinary medicine has outpaced the speed of clinical research, and we are at risk of harming the reputation and standing of regenerative medicine before it has been fully optimized and developed. In response to this, international regulation of Veterinary Regenerative Medicine is underway. This highlights the need and opportunity for veterinarians and veterinary researchers to influence the optimal development of this field by working toward standardized approaches and evidence-based medicine. The Frontiers journal approach to publication allows a more collaborative environment and enables a more sophisticated discussion about emerging challenges that need to be addressed in our work. My vision for the Veterinary Regenerative Medicine specialty section of Frontiers in Veterinary Science is to facilitate the timely publication of high-quality research articles in Veterinary Regenerative Medicine and to host discussion about provocative topics in our field. As the first journal with a section focused on Veterinary Regenerative Medicine, Frontiers in Veterinary Science has the opportunity of providing a much-needed forum for these timely topics. Emerging challenges that are relevant to the development of safe and efficacious regenerative therapies for veterinary patients include the proper validation of reagents used in veterinary research, standardization of protocols and nomenclature, and highlighting the limitations as well as clinical relevance of research findings. Furthermore, another challenge to the field is merging complex processes and unique techniques associated with cell culture with a medical field that has established treatments and surgeries that may be used alongside regenerative therapies. This makes optimizing therapeutic approaches more complex, costly, and time consuming in the veterinary medical field where achieving evidence-based medicine is already challenging. Finally, advances in Veterinary Regenerative Medicine should be relevant and available to those studying human disease and basic science if it is to have its most profound impact. The open access format for Veterinary Regenerative Medicine offers a venue for dissemination of information about veterinary therapeutics that can accelerate translational medicine and the concept of “One Health.”