While human beings have some impressive self-healing capabilities but can humans regrow limbs?
According to Scitech Daily, researchers have successfully regenerated skeletal and connective tissue, although the new tissue was not perfectly formed.
The result demonstrates a critical step forward in limb regeneration.
For centuries, scientists have viewed the inability to regrow lost body parts as a major biological limit for humans and other mammals.
Salamanders and some other animals can regenerate entire limbs, but people usually heal serious injuries by forming scar tissue.
New research from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) suggests that this limitation may not be absolute.
The ability to regenerate tissue may still exist in mammals, but it may be hidden within the body’s ordinary healing response.
Dr. Ken Muneoka, a professor in the VMBS’ Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology (VTPP) said, “Why some animals can regenerate and others, particularly humans, can’t is a big question that has been asked since Aristotle. I’ve spent my career trying to understand that.”
In a study published in Nature Communications, Muneoka and his colleagues describe a new two-step treatment that triggered the regrowth of bone, joint structures, and ligaments.
The regenerated tissues were not perfectly formed, but the researchers say the method could have near-term value for reducing scar formation and improving tissue repair after amputations.
