Dr. Pedro Guillén
Pedro Guillén, founder and President of Clínica Cemtro, President of the Doctor Pedro Guillén Foundation, Extraordinary Professor and Honorary Dean of the Catholic University of Murcia, and honorary member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), was admitted as an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Castile-La Mancha in the course of a solemn session held on 12 March in the Plenary Hall of the former City Hall of Albacete. The recipient delivered the acceptance speech “The Cell as Medicine: Chondrocyte Culture Rejuvenates the Joint,” in which he presented three decades of research in regenerative medicine centred on the use of cartilage cells. He was answered on behalf of the Academy of Castile-La Mancha by fellow honorary member of the READ, Francisco González de Posada.
The expert highlighted that articular cartilage has a very limited capacity for self-repair, which usually leads to osteoarthritis and, in many cases, to the need for prostheses. Guillén explained that throughout his long and highly successful professional career, the central axis of his work has been the culture of autologous chondrocytes, a technique applied since 1996 in more than 800 patients, with success rates reaching as high as 90% in its most advanced versions. According to his explanation, these procedures enable the regeneration of functional cartilage similar to the original, representing a paradigm shift from traditional treatments, which are generally palliative.
Guillén emphasised that regenerative medicine, based on living cells, represents one of the main avenues for the future in treating degenerative diseases of the locomotor system. In this context, he defended the concept of using the cell as medicine, pointing out that its application could reduce the need for prostheses and improve patients’ quality of life. In his speech, he also addressed technical advances in tissue engineering, the development of high-density cell therapies and the prospects of using allogeneic or reprogrammed cells, which would allow more accessible and less invasive treatments, presenting an optimistic outlook in which cartilage regeneration and the possible cure of osteoarthritis appear increasingly close thanks to the integration of cell biology, technology and clinical practice.
The pioneer of arthroscopy in Spain, Guillén, is also a member of the National Academy of Surgery of Spain, the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy, the European College of Sports Traumatology and the Spanish Committee of Sports Medicine, and an honorary member of the North American Arthroscopy Association. He has received some of Spain’s highest civil distinctions, such as the Medal of Merit at Work, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Second of May and the Medal of Honour for the Promotion of Invention, among other top-level awards. In the academic and research sphere, he promotes the Pedro Guillén Chair of Regenerative Medicine.
