“Researchers have found that the gene p21 appears to block the healing power still enjoyed by some creatures including amphibians but lost through evolution to all other animals. By turning off p21, the process can be miraculously switched back on.
Academics from The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia found that mice lacking the p21 gene gain the ability to regenerate lost or damaged tissue. Unlike typical mammals, which heal wounds by forming a scar, these mice begin by forming a blastema, a structure associated with rapid cell growth. According to the Wistar researchers, the loss of p21 causes the cells of these mice to behave more like regenerating embryonic stem cells rather than adult mammalian cells. This means they act as if they creating rather thane mending the body.
Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provide solid evidence to link tissue regeneration to the control of cell division. They turned off the gene in mice which had damaged ears and they regrew them. While they say it is early days, there is nothing theoretically different about applying the same process to humans. Professor Ellen Heber-Katz, the lead scientist, said: “Much like a newt that has lost a limb, these mice will replace missing or damaged tissue with healthy tissue that lacks any sign of scarring.”
Read more at The Telegraph
Is there any way at all to encourage them to continue tests? I’m quite willing to volunteer myself for gene-therapy if I’m able to regrow fingers/ears at the end of it.
There must be an evolutionary reason for mammals evolving the p21 gene. It would be interesting to see if the over all life span of p21 gene Mice and p21-less mice as such extensive healing may have dire consequences for metabolism.
This is very intriguing research which could be highly beneficial in the future. I have some questions that I’d be interested to ask of the researchers. How ‘old’ is the replacement? I.e. if for example an 80 year old human has a finger regrown, is the replacement an ’80 year old finger’, or a ’20 year old finger’ – is the skin smooth and taught or old a wrinkly? Would the replacement part have to go through the various embryonic stages of development? There are a bunch of other questions, but they’d be my top two.
Niall: There is — the gene (afaik) also inhibits the development of cancerous cells. That’s something that will have to be watched closely in these mice, I assume.
this is great, but i hope they can get it right–i dont care to have a hand growing outta my forehead! :0
this would be great for war victims or guys from the 7/7 london bombings with limbs missing
Wow, so could you turn the gene off after getting a limb amputated or something? Then maybe it would grow back the right way without the problem that needed amputation in the first place. This reminds me of starfish.
Agrees with Niall and Berber Anna; It’s all very exciting but this kind of prolific cell division means more mistakes so more cancers. Proceed with caution. Don’t be a mouse.