Regenerating a Lost Limb
April 12, 2022 | Terry Sharrer
In this piece, researchers at Tufts University “demonstrate long-term (18 months) regrowth, marked tissue repatterning, and functional restoration of an amputated X. laevis [frog] hindlimb following a 24-hour exposure to a multidrug, pro-regenerative treatment delivered by a wearable bioreactor. Regenerated tissues composed of skin, bone, vasculature, and nerves significantly exceeded the complexity and sensorimotor capacities of untreated and control animals’ hypomorphic spikes. RNA sequencing of early tissue buds revealed activation of developmental pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin, TGF-β, hedgehog, and Notch. These data demonstrate the successful “kickstarting” of endogenous regenerative pathways in a vertebrate model.” MORE
Image Credit: NewAtlas.com