system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What is the "holy grail" of your field, what is needed to obtain it, and how will this impact the world?

I am interested to see what kind of research people do here, and for what reasons. I find that most researchers I've had the opportunity to speak with usually work on something really cool. You can also talk about your specific research as well, it does not have to be particularly broad.

For example, I am a graduate student studying in the field of Tissue Engineering/Regenerative medicine. 

The holy grail of our field is to be able to either grow or repair an organ to restore complete functionality (for example, to grow a liver in the lab for transplantation, or to add the right growth factors, cells, and/or scaffolds to a damaged liver to repair it.)

There are many steps required to obtain this, and there are many approaches, but one important step required is to grow a vascular system with the organ so that we can deliver oxygen and nutrients to the tissue. As a result of this challenge, most cells are currently grown in sheets on petri dishes, and we cannot grow "organs" that are thicker than 2mm. (other students, researchers, and/or professors are welcome to correct me)

The impact of being able to grow an organ will help save lives who are on the organ transplant list, but will also be able to improve the lives of those who get permanent damage from injuries (for example, replacing the knee after a major tear, or replacing a long bone that has been shattered, or even replacing an entire arm...)
gpt
An unambiguous and universally-applicable site index for tree quality. In Urban Forestry, the national standard for trees (ANSI) specifically does not ensure quality, and only serves to standardize tree nursery practices. The vast difference between planting sites and tree quality results in huge monetary losses in maintenance, tree death, and growth stunting. Currently, no objective and broad-spectrum criterion exists in order to optimize possible tree growth and obtain the most ecosystem services per tree for the money spent on it. If we do come up with such a site index for trees, we can ensure that urban forests develop as predicted with minimal losses, maintenance, and a more stable ecosystem for a longer time period.