One day, humans too can regrow severed limbs

Self-Healing Ability Of Salamanders Can Be Applied To Us

Mexican salamanders who can regrow amputated legs are not pulling off quite as big a trick as scientists had first thought, which may help doctors trying to regenerate human limbs.

Researchers looking into how salamanders are able to to regrow their damaged bodies have discovered that the “almost magical ability” is closer to human healing then earlier thought. They believe that one day they will be able to completely unlock the secret and apply it to humans, reprogramming the body so it can repair itself perfectly as if nothing had happened.

The amphibians are almost unique in that if they lose a limb, a small bump forms over the injury called a blastema. Within about three weeks this blastema transforms into a new, fully functioning replacement limb without any scarring.

At first it was thought that the ability was so alien to human healing that, outside of science fiction novels, it could never be transformed into a useful treatment for damaged human bodies.

But researchers at the University of Florida have found that it is not as remarkable as first thought and we could learn how to replicate it in people. “I think it’s more mammallike than was ever expected,” said Malcolm Maden, author of the paper. “It gives you more hope for being able to someday regenerate individual tissues in people.”

Scientists studying the Axolotl salamander of Mexico had long thought the amphibious creature’s capabilities were down to so-called “pluripotent” cells, which had the ability to morph into whatever appendage, organ or tissue happens to be needed or due for a replacement, the Daily Telegraph reported.

But a paper in the journal Nature debunks that notion, discovering that the regenerative process is like a much more sophisticated version of healing in humans and other mammals.

They found that repairs were down to much more standard stem cells — like those in mammals — but with the ability to reorganise themselves in the correct order to rebuild the body. Standard mammal stem cells operate in the same way, albeit with far less dramatic results — they can heal wounds or knit bone together, but not regenerate a limb or rebuild a spinal cord.

The salamanders heal perfectly, without any scars whatsoever, another ability people would like to learn how to mimic, Maden said.

He said the findings will help researchers “zero in” on why salamander cells are capable of such remarkable regeneration. AGENCIES

MAGIC DECODED? Salamanders possess the rare ability to regenerate limbs without any scarring