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Will humans someday regenerate limbs?
 

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Welcome

Welcome to the regeneration lab web site. Our goal is to keep the public informed on advancements in regenerative therapies and our latest findings. We hope you find this site interesting and educational

Dr. David M. Gardiner and Dr. Susan V. Bryant

       

      Dr. DAVID M. GARDINER
          Principle Investigator

Professor, Department of Developmental and Cell Biology
and Developmental Biology Center

Research Programs and Expertise

Salamanders are the only vertebrates that can regenerate lost body parts as adults. The key to this ability is that limb cells are triggered to dedifferentiate and reinitiate growth and pattern formation. Our strategy is to use axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) to discover the signals that trigger the regeneration response, in the belief that these signals have enormous potential and consequences for human health. Our long term goals are to identify the regeneration-enabling signals in limbs, in order to support progress towards the eventual application of these molecules to the improvement of human repair mechanisms.  Most recently we have been involved in the development of genomic resources for identifying the key signaling pathways that control limb regeneration.  The tools and knowledge are in place to attack complex systems, and understanding regeneration is likely to lead to new approaches and therapies for replacing or repairing lost, damaged or diseased parts of the body.

Read more...
 

                       

                        Dr. SUSAN V. BRYANT                        
                   
       Principal Investigator

Research Professor, Department of Developmental and Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Center

Research

How to Regenerate a New Leg: What we can learn from salamanders.

Alone among vertebrates, urodele amphibians are able to regenerate lost body parts as adults. The key to this ability is that limb cells are triggered to dedifferentiate and reinitiate growth and pattern formation. Our strategy is to use axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) to discover the signals that trigger the regeneration response, in the belief that these signals have enormous potential and consequences for human health. Our long term goals are to identify the regeneration-enabling signals in limbs, in order to support progress towards the eventual application of these molecules to the improvement of human repair mechanisms. 
Read more...
 

Regeneration in the News

April 2007 – Salamander Limb Regeneration Movie. Produced by HHMI in a collaboration with Dr. David Gardiner.

Regeneration Articles

August 2010 – Recipes for Limb Renewal Click here

June 2009 – Axolotl Salamander Could Hold the Key to Human Limb Regeneration Click here

August 2009 – Axolotl verges on wild extinction Click here

For additional articles Click here

© University of California Irvine 2006

                     Rapid wound healing model

                 Double click on image to start movie

In the Axolotl, a 2 mm wound heals in less than 10 hours, in the mammal a 2 mm wound heals in 2 to 3 days. Understanding this process may lead to rapid wound healing in mammals. >>Read more >>