How regenerative is "regenerative"? A quantitative score to benchmark therapy performance across tissues.

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• The term "regenerative" encompasses diverse therapies, lacking standardized assessment criteria.
• Current tools focus on single tissues and cannot compare different product types.
• Regenerative labeling is often self-assigned and binary, hindering objective evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• Propose the Regenerative Potential Score (RPS) framework to quantify regenerative capacity.
• Establish a standardized method for comparing diverse regenerative therapies.
• Promote a shared language and consensus-based testing standards in the field.

Main Methods:

• The RPS framework assesses three key aspects: cell response, new matrix formation, and functional in vivo integration.
• Each aspect is measured using two core assays, with results converted to standardized effect sizes.
• Scores are anchored to negative controls and current best-practice treatments for clinical relevance.

Main Results:

• The RPS provides a quantitative measure of a product's regenerative potential within a specific tissue context.
• This framework allows for transparent comparisons between different regenerative product types.
• The proposed scoring system facilitates objective evaluation and differentiation of regenerative therapies.

Conclusions:

• The Regenerative Potential Score (RPS) offers a novel conceptual framework for quantifying regenerative potential.
• Standardized scoring promotes transparency and facilitates comparisons across diverse regenerative medicine products.
• The RPS aims to drive consensus-based testing standards and advance the field of regenerative medicine.