Friends, Future, and Memes: Decellularization of the heart (thx, @mdhealthtips !) . This, friends, is the future of regenerative medicine ☀️☀️. Decellularization is a biomedical engineering process used to isolate the extracellular matrix (ECM) of a tissue from its inhabiting cells, leaving an ECM scaffold of the original tissue intact for artificial organ and tissue regeneration. This scaffold of connective tissue can be reseeded with a patient's own cells, with the goal of regenerating an organ that can be transplanted into the patient - all without fear of tissue rejection. . The image shows a decellularized heart, stripped of all native cells, leaving behind an intact vascular system and a scaffold that has been infused with stem cells. The goal is then to grow a new personalized human heart, which can be implanted into a patient! . science biomedical medicine