 Regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is a therapeutic treatment that replaces or regenerates diseased or damaged cells, tissues and organs in the human body to restore normal function. The treatment can be by injection of small molecule drugs, biologics, medical devices, biomaterials and stem cells, or alternatively involve growing tissues in the lab and then implanting them into the body. We asked people what excites you, what frightens you and how will it change the way you live. These were some of their responses. Of course this sounds great but will regenerative medicine like this really be available in 2020 or is it just hype? Medical researchers say that recent advances in stem cell technology and the ability to create brand new tissues from cells in the lab have brought us much closer to seeing this treatment a reality. Some treatments are already in clinical trials for example using human embryonic stem cells to repair the effects of macular degeneration in the eye. This means that in the near future stem cells injected into the body could be used as a treatment for everything from wound healing after accidents right through to the specific treatment of childhood diseases such as type 1 diabetes or the repair of cardiovascular system after heart attacks and the repair of damaged brain tissue caused by Parkinson's stroke and other brain injuries. Doctors will be able to regrow brand new organs from stem cells in the lab ready for implantation into the patient. This sort of treatment will open the door for the widespread replacement of damaged organs with healthy new ones without the need for donors. But where will these cells come from? That will depend on the type of disease or disorder that will need treating. Certain types of stem cells may be better for particular ailments. There are three types of stem cells embryonic stem cells from early-stage human embryos adult stem cells derived from our body cells including the baby's cord blood and pluripotent cells generated in the laboratory from our body cells to behave in a similar way to human embryonic stem cells. Current research uses all types of stem cells. Some people have raised questions regarding the ethical implications involved with stem cell technology. This is because ethical concerns have been raised over the use of human embryos for embryonic stem cells in regenerative medicine. Research using human embryos is undertaken under strict guidelines established through legislation and approved by university ethics committees. How will this technology impact on an ageing population? Often technologies don't always turn out as we expect and there may be unintended consequences even from technology with good intentions. Regenerative medicine may be the first step to us living longer, healthier lives but will this just mean we have an even larger, more dependent, ageing population? What do you think?