For the estimated 12.7 million people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, the third leading cause of death in the US, innovative research efforts in the field of tissue regeneration hold promise. In end-stage lung disease, transplantation is sometimes the only viable therapeutic option, but organ availability is limited and rejection presents an additional challenge. New research focuses on lung tissue bioengineering, which involves the use of a scaffold -- or framework -- of lungs from human cadavers to engineer new lungs for patients with end-stage disease. The studies have examined multiple perspectives on the process of stripping the cellular material from these lungs and replacing it with stem cells in an effort to grow new, healthy lungs for transplantation.