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Not so long ago, researchers at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia made a serendipitous discovery: when they punched identification holes in the ears of a certain strain of mice known as MRL, the holes rapidly healed without any sign of scar tissue, and with regenerated cartilage and hair follicles. Their curiosity was understandably piqued.
Further experiments showed that the regenerative potential of these mice was not limited to healing their ears. Researchers performed a series of experiments, surgically removing such things as toes, tails, and sections of heart from the mice, and each removed section grew back without evidence of scarring, joints and all. Of each surgically removed portion, only the brain tissue of the mice was unable to regenerate. The unique regenerative power of these mice is unheard of in adult mammals, but it is strikingly similar to that exhibited by some amphibians. Rather than regrowing damaged or lost tissues, mammal physiology closes the wound with scar tissue, which is the body’s quick response to prevent infection.
When cells from one of these regenerating mice is injected into an ordinary mouse, it takes on the ability to regenerate as well. After six months of observing these previously ordinary mice, there was no noticeable decline in this healing ability. The ability seems to be controlled by about a dozen genes, and researchers are almost certain that humans have comparable genes.
Naturally the military is interested in applying this technology to humans, as it would allow a wounded soldier to recover fully, including any amputated limbs or damaged organs. It also has some interesting implications in repairing non-genetic birth defects, since a defective limb or organ could be removed, and grow back normally. Scientists also believe that these extraordinary healing properties may extend the lifespan of an organism, but these mice are only eighteen months into their normal two-year lifespan, so it is too early to make any conclusions.
The potential for this regenerative ability in humans is extraordinary, but it is only a matter of time until the lawsuits from prosthetic limb manufacturers start up. Damn human nature.
Article in The Australian
The Wistar Institute home page
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I can’t believe no one has posted on this yet, I find this to be incredible! Definately worthy of further research. Good article, hope to see this medical advance used in humans in my lifetime.
I think the last comment on the article really sums up the the initial outcome of introducing this incredible posibility for humans. The prothestics companys would have a fit. It would completly change modern Biomedical research in the line of manufactoring and design. But just like the alternate energy cars that are slowly being introduced in the last few years. I know that the oil companies were/ are not pleased about an effcient car that can run off of corn. But, companies like Exxon are going with this new energy platform and using it as another profit outlet. This is what I suspect the prothestic comapanies would do as well. They would embrace the market for regeneration and that would be their new product so to speak.
Well that is what I would do if I was involved with a large prothestic company on the verge of extinction.
But, you are right CasyselessEffect, where are all the post. This is a really interesting topic.
Gee, I wish it worked on brain cells too… I’d like to get back the 18% of my brain that was removed…
I wonder if it would have any effect on the formation of scar tissue in brain injuries – that would solve problems for many people right there, especially people who have brain surgery for tumors, anyeurisms and epilepsy control.
I think this just might be a way of treating arthritis, as well. It might require some surgery to remoe the damaged portions of joints, but if they could grow back without the arthritis damage (at least for a few years) it would be a godsend to many.
Wow, this is DI! I understand that with the new in-utero fetal surgeries, that the babes are born with out any scaring. I seem to remember storys also that on a few occasions infants under age 2yrs. have spontaineously grown back finger tips or other broken bits. There was a girl in my third grade who grew back her tonsils.
I new a boy who had 4 (yes four) or more separate sets of teeth. They kept pulling out the baby teeth and new ones would grow in. This is a true medicaly documented case, though I can not cite the source. Very rare mayby in some old dental journal of medicine.
I’d be interested, now that much time has passed since the original writing of this article, to see a follow-up. Did the mice with the regenerative abilities live much (or any) longer than the expected 2 year life-span?
Wolverine style! now all I need is adamantium bones!! and claws!!!
Any updates on this?
Enter your reply text here. OK
Almost never read. / or not commented.
This could help my sisters boyfriend a transvestite – chop off the vagina & grow a penis!
Regenerative cells + penis hormone = ohh boy!
I’ll see more comments in a year. ohh oh.
i heard that sharks can regenerate brain tissue if this is true the shark-mouse would be unstopable
This is a fascinating tidbit. Wonder why there aren’t more comments. Probably goes into the “too good to be true” category. Haven’t heard anything about this ever, so it probably had no results…or was nicely tucked away by an interested military party never to be seen by civilian eyes again. maybe they injected some old person named benjamin with it….and then it was so freaky they made a movie….the curios case of Benjamin…..just to see how the public would react to such a thing *queue erie music*