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.