Salamander-Like Healing For Humans
Dee Sandin — March 17, 2008 — Science
Researchers are trying to understand limb regeneration by studying salamanders, as they think the reptiles could hold the key to regeneration for human limbs.
Salamanders can regrow lost body parts where as human tissue forms a scar. The trick is to learn to control the human wound area, triggering the salamander-like healing process in order to make it possible to regrow body parts. Repairing damaged organs and regenerative medicine, is a hot topic with pretty much all the attention focused on growing stem cells outside the body, turning them into a specific type of tissue to transplant into patients. But some scientists believe a better approach is to induce the regeneration process of salamanders into people. This natural regeneration, accomplished with drugs or genes, will be much easier than transplanting.
"I really do believe it's just a matter of time before you're going to regenerate an arm or at least a finger," said Dr. David M. Gardiner, a biologist who runs the laboratory at the University of California at Irvine with Dr. Susan V. Bryant, the dean of biological sciences and his wife. "I'd like to see that in my lifetime."
Salamanders can regrow lost body parts where as human tissue forms a scar. The trick is to learn to control the human wound area, triggering the salamander-like healing process in order to make it possible to regrow body parts. Repairing damaged organs and regenerative medicine, is a hot topic with pretty much all the attention focused on growing stem cells outside the body, turning them into a specific type of tissue to transplant into patients. But some scientists believe a better approach is to induce the regeneration process of salamanders into people. This natural regeneration, accomplished with drugs or genes, will be much easier than transplanting.
"I really do believe it's just a matter of time before you're going to regenerate an arm or at least a finger," said Dr. David M. Gardiner, a biologist who runs the laboratory at the University of California at Irvine with Dr. Susan V. Bryant, the dean of biological sciences and his wife. "I'd like to see that in my lifetime."
Trend Themes
1. Limb Regeneration - Studying the salamander's regenerative abilities can provide insights into triggering the healing process in humans for limb regeneration.
2. Regenerative Medicine - Inducing the regeneration process of salamanders into humans through drugs or genes offers disruptive innovation opportunities for repairing damaged organs.
3. Natural Regeneration - Developing methods to naturally trigger the regenerative process in humans can revolutionize the field of medicine, leading to the possibility of regrowing body parts.
Industry Implications
1. Biotechnology - The biotechnology industry can explore methods to induce the regeneration process in humans, leading to advancements in regenerative medicine.
2. Pharmaceuticals - The pharmaceutical industry can focus on developing drugs that mimic or stimulate the salamander-like healing process in humans, enabling limb regeneration.
3. Medical Devices - The medical devices industry can integrate advancements in regenerative medicine to develop innovative devices or technologies that aid in the regrowth of body parts.
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