Scientists identify cell that could hold the secret to limb regeneration

[Crisp]

Scientists identify cell that could hold the secret to limb regeneration

Researchers have identified a cell that aids limb regrowth in Salamanders. Macrophages are a type of repairing cell that devour dead cells and pathogens, and trigger other immune cells to respond to pathogens. In humans, they're also important to muscle repair, which led Dr. James Godwin, of the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University, to research whether the macrophages found inside Salamanders are related to the animal's ability to regenerate limbs.

Salamanders are unique in the vertebrate world as they're capable of repairing their hearts, tails, spinal cords, brain, and regrowing limbs. This makes them an obvious candidate for regenerative research. Godwin and the team at ARMI removed the macrophages the Salamanders and found that the animals were no longer able to regenerate limbs. He believes that the cells release chemicals that are vital to the Salamanders' regenerative powers. More research is needed to establish exactly how regeneration works, and Godwin is currently conducting experiments to investigate. "This really gives us somewhere to look for what might be secreted into the wound environment that allows for regeneration," he tells ABC News.

Although understanding the Salamander's abilities may one day lead to impossible-sounding feats like limb regeneration in humans, there are more-immediate benefits that could come from the research. Less ambitious goals such as scarless healing, could be attainable. "The long-term plan is that we'll know exactly what cocktail to add to a wound site to allow salamander-like regeneration under hospital conditions."

Source

[DocM]

The DARPA (US DoD mad science lab) limb regeneration program entered Phase 2 in early 2010 when they were able to form a limb bud in a mammal. Still active.

[Growled Member]

Pretty exciting technology. It could be a hope for millions who have lost limbs.

[blade1269]

That really worked well in Spider-Man didn't it?

[Buttus]

wow, crazy stuff! i wonder how it knows what cells to make? like, a cell that makes more of one kind of cells i understand, but for example, when re-gorwing an arm, how does it know when to switch from bone to muscle to skin to fingernail?

[Sadelwo]

That really worked well in Spider-Man didn't it?

What makes that funny is the person in the pic wearing a Spider-man shirt. :D

[spacer]

That's an amazing discovery. Hopefully it will yield something useful.

[DocM]

wow, crazy stuff! i wonder how it knows what cells to make? like, a cell that makes more of one kind of cells i understand, but for example, when re-gorwing an arm, how does it know when to switch from bone to muscle to skin to fingernail?

Regeneration turns back on the cellular machinery and programming that grew the original limb in the embryo. The bud cells get signals from the surrounding tissues as to where they are then proceed accordingly. Fascinating stuff.

[Binary]

Would it take 20 years to grow a 20 yr old humans arm though? Would it have to 'develop' is what I'm asking.

Reptiles/small creatures reach maturity fairly quickly, so an adult arm could be regenerated fairly fast. Just wondering if more complex longer living humans would change the way this works.

[Original Poster]

Would it take 20 years to grow a 20 yr old humans arm though? Would it have to 'develop' is what I'm asking.

Reptiles/small creatures reach maturity fairly quickly, so an adult arm could be regenerated fairly fast. Just wondering if more complex longer living humans would change the way this works.

nooo its like cloning, the cells have memory ... if you were to clone a sheep ... it would be as if it were 2 years old if the sample was taken from a 2 year old sheep...with regeneration its basically the same thing as cloning in a sense but yet completely different :p its so hard for me to explain ...

but if it grew like some reptiles tails (the gecko) it would be obvious it was a regrowth and not the original