The ancient desires of men there were emerging from time to time in the tales of many nations and are emerging actually in the sreenplays of the film industry. Flying, travelling in space, visiting other planets, achieving the eternal youth, becoming invulnerable or even the desire for quick recovery are deeply rooted in men's fantasies and some of them are turning out step-by-step as a day-to-day reality. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering are interdisciplinary fields of research that utilize the knowledge of engineers, scientists, and physicians to create tissue-like implants. In the most intensive research on tissue regeneration, there are taken cell samples of the patients' relevant tissues, which after multiplication on a host artificial matrix are finally replaced to the damaged area for local regeneration. Henceforward, the regenerated tissue regains its original structure and function. The past four decades witnessed the rapid development of these fields, from laboratory experiments throughs animal testing and clinical trials to the administered therapies. Studying the history of original and novel ideas on this field is a key issue in understanding the latest achievements while appreciating the actual results and the future trends respectively. This study outlines a brief summary of the background the early history and the present challenges of regenerative medicine. In this study, I present a brief survey on the background of regenerative medicine and the principles of tissue engineering, followed by discussing the early years of these fields. In the end, I will describe the most.relevant questions and scientific challenges that are still to be answered and overcome.  Kulcsszavak: regeneratív medicína, szövetmérnökség, történelem