The ability to regrow body parts is dormant in mammals, not lost
5 hours ago
- #tissue regeneration
- #regenerative medicine
- #wound healing
- Scientists at Texas A&M University have discovered that mammals, including humans, may have hidden regenerative abilities that are simply switched off.
- A two-step treatment using growth factors FGF2 and BMP2 redirected healing from scar formation to regeneration in animal studies, restoring bone, joints, ligaments, and tendons after amputation.
- The research challenges the need for external stem cells, showing that existing fibroblasts can be reprogrammed to form blastema-like structures for tissue regrowth.
- Regenerated tissues were not perfect replicas but included all major structures, suggesting regeneration involves complex biological pathways rather than a single mechanism.
- Potential applications include reducing scarring and improving wound healing, with FDA-approved growth factors possibly enabling quicker clinical translation.