The development and application of shockwave medicine is originally from lithotripsy to break up kidney stones. Thereafter, specialized machines are then developed specifically with the idea of using these shockwaves on other parts of the body, and this is the origin of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). An accumulating number of evidence has recently demonstrated that shockwave is an alternative regime for promoting regeneration of skin ulcer, ischemic cardiac tissues, islet cell, differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and urinary system, suggesting that shockwave has multiple therapeutic potential for promoting tissue repair or regeneration. We have long-term been devoted to explore the mechanism underying shockwave promotion of tissue repair and found that shockwave induces several biological reactions, including the enhancement of angiogenesis and stem cell re-capituation in the injured tissue, thereby accelerating tissue repair. We recruit many physicians and scientists in orthopedics, plastics, cardiacs, gastroenterology, nephrology, mesenchymal stem cells and molecular biology to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying shockwave promotion of tissue regeneration. The Core Facility intends to maintain a plateform to support core equipments and technologies for all study groups of the center. The supports are described below:
1. The Core Facility maintains a technology plateform of shockwave therapy for experimental animal and in vitro cell culture model. This know-how is also to extrapolate to benchside.
2. We try to maintain a plateform of in vivo tissue imaging to tracing tissue responses and angiogenesis in the course of shockwave promotion of tissue repair.
3. The Core Facility is to act as centralized, standard experimental disease model or genetic modified mice for all study groups.
4. The Core Facility supports standard and advanced detection protocols of standard cell and molecular biology.
5. We provide pharmaceuptic or genetic manipulation technology support for all study groups to explore the emerging SW-mediated biological reactions.