TimmyH
Human Limb Regeneration Breakthrough
August 28th 2008 06:49
The salamander is an extraordinary creature. It can grow back limbs that are lost in an incredibly short period of time. That makes it unique in the animal world.
"You can do anything to it except kill it, and it will regenerate," says Gerald Pao, a postdoctoral researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in La Jolla, CA.
Pao and fellow researcher Wei Zhu began mapping the Salamander genome last year. Now they believe to have identified some of the molecular signals that play a key role in the process.
Around 90 percent of the genes that are required for the Salamander to regenerate limbs can also be found in the human genome, which suggests that if the technology can be harnessed and transferred to human embryos, we could one day see humans acquire the ability to regenerate lost limbs, organs and tissues.
"We think many of them are genes that evolved uniquely in salamanders to help with this process," says Randal Voss, a biologist at the University of Kentucky, who is working on the project.
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"You can do anything to it except kill it, and it will regenerate," says Gerald Pao, a postdoctoral researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in La Jolla, CA.
Pao and fellow researcher Wei Zhu began mapping the Salamander genome last year. Now they believe to have identified some of the molecular signals that play a key role in the process.
Around 90 percent of the genes that are required for the Salamander to regenerate limbs can also be found in the human genome, which suggests that if the technology can be harnessed and transferred to human embryos, we could one day see humans acquire the ability to regenerate lost limbs, organs and tissues.
"We think many of them are genes that evolved uniquely in salamanders to help with this process," says Randal Voss, a biologist at the University of Kentucky, who is working on the project.
Really Long Link
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