Posted on 04/11/2011 7:58:46 AM PDT by Red Badger
Move over, newts and salamanders. The mouse may join you as the only animal that can re-grow their own severed limbs. Researchers are reporting that a simple chemical cocktail can coax mouse muscle fibers to become the kinds of cells found in the first stages of a regenerating limb.
Their study, the first demonstration that mammal muscle can be turned into the biological raw material for a new limb, appears in the journal ACS Chemical Biology.
Darren R. Williams and Da-Woon Jung say their "relatively simple, gentle, and reversible" methods for creating the early stages of limb regeneration in mouse cells "have implications for both regenerative medicine and stem cell biology." In the future, they suggest, the chemicals they use could speed wound healing by providing new cells at the injured site before the wound closes or becomes infected. Their methods might also shed light on new ways to switch adult cells into the all-purpose, so-called "pluripotent," stem cells with the potential for growing into any type of tissue in the body.
The scientists describe the chemical cocktail that they developed and used to turn mouse muscle fibers into muscle cells. Williams and Jung then converted the muscle cells turned into fat and bone cells. Those transformations were remarkably similar to the initial processes that occur in the tissue of newts and salamanders that is starting to regrow severed limbs.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
This should prove of interest to our dyke friends.
I wonder if this could be used to grow new testicles? There are a lot of Republicans I could recommend to volunteer for the clinical tests.
I was wondering if they consider a spine a form of limb to be re-grown...
How long before we can grow obummer a brain.
According to the article, it would require that he had one to begin with. The fact that his cranium is vacant excludes him from further study.
bfl
Colonel Sanders is using this “cocktail” of chemicals to regrow wings on chickens so they’ll have extras. With genetic manipulation they hope to make the wings grow sauce on them.
Perhaps they can grow some flavor while they are at it..................
Something wrong with eleven different spices called table salt?
They can already re-grown finger-tips. I had a nephew who just underwent that (miraculous) process.
How does it work on nerves, I wonder? Did they mention that in the article? I’m actually working at work and don’t have time to check.
Obvious spinal injury applications.
I like my spice with a little salt, not the other way around.........
If this could be used to regenerate internal organs, we would no longer need donors for most organs.
My nephew, who is/was in California studying guitar, sawed off the tips of two fingers a few months ago while constructing a set for a production at school.
His two finger tips are now fully restored - nerves and all.
Fortunately it was all covered by the VA, as he had just gotten out of the Navy.
I’ve heard of that. Amazing. Do you know what they did?
When my brother called to tell me about his son's accident I vaguely remembered this event and immediately Googled on it while he was on the phone with me.
Within minutes my brother was on the phone with gentleman in this article discussing the treatment. He learned that the VA had a program for doing this in Texas for military personnel with finger damage.
A couple of days after that this "magic dust" was en route to Los Angeles, where my brother's son was living.
Today - finger restored, guitarist career renewed! Proof's in the pudding! :) (My nephew still owes me lunch - with dessert - for this one!)
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