Monday, October 14, 2019

The Power of Regeneration


If you are a science fiction or fantasy fan, like me, you'll find yourself sometimes in conversation with your friends about the best powers in your favorite story. When the question comes up, 'Which superpower would you like to have ?', there are the classic answers like super strength, flight or invisibility. However, people rarely consider one of the greatest powers that saved so many of our beloved heroes in movies and books — the power of regeneration. Like in  Wolverine, who can heal any wound or Deadpool who can regrow limbs or the potions Hermione used to restore Ron's shredded arm. Now, what if it's not just fantasy?

One real-life version of Deadpool is the Axolotl. This species of salamanders have the astonishing ability to regrow entire limbs with their original function. An ability to that extent is unprecedented in the animal kingdom. However, a new research article published by researchers from the Duke University of Medicine suggests that the same power lingers in the human genome. They found that humans have a 'salamander-like' regenerative ability to regrow cartilage. The responsible system in humans can function autonomous, to an extent, and initiate tissue repair. The researchers write that the built-in repair system is made of microRNA and can be found in ankle joints, and weaker versions in knees and hips. MicroRNA is a non-coding RNA that is used in silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, which means that it is responsible what and when proteins are produced.  It is hypothesized that the ability to regulate microRNA is one of the key differences between humans and Axolotls.

Though it may sound dull, and nothing like superpowers, it is a major breakthrough. Thanks to this knowledge, we will be able to treat diseases such as osteoarthritis, which is caused by the breakdown of protein tissue in the joints over time— a condition that has a significant impact on mobility and agility on many people in the later years. One scientist said, "We believe we could boost these regulators [miRNA] to fully regenerate degenerated cartilage of an arthritic joint. If we can figure out what regulators we are missing compared with salamanders, we might even be able to add the missing components…" And once we are able to instigate an automatic cartilage regeneration, we may be able someday to extend this ability to grow entire limbs back.

This article brings new hope into the ongoing research of tissue regeneration. The possibilities that a miRNA drug could open to the treatment of limb loss are endless. However, as of right now, we only understand the mechanics but have no way of actively initiate such processes. So, you may want to hold on any crime-fighting activities that may cause you to lose one or two arms.

Posted by Gene (5)

6 comments:

  1. I've questioned at times why more research hasn't been done on regeneration. I believe at some point all of us have wondered why we can regrow fingernails but not a finger. Is the reason we can regrow biological structures like nails and hair but not other structures like a foot or a leg have to do with our regulation of the microRNA you mention? Is the sole reason humans cannot regenerate a limb have to do with us not being able to regulate enough [miRNA] or are there other factors involved?

    -David Frykenberg

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    1. Yes, it's thought that the one thing that distinguish the quality of regeneration between us species that can regrow limbs, is the microRNA control. The interesting thing here is that, miRNA is not a growth inducer as one might think. It is actually a mRNA suppressor and prevents protein growth.
      So, if we can control the suppression we would be able to control tissue growth.
      -Gene

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  2. Starfish are also incredible creatures that are able to regenerate their limbs. Some can even regenerate entire bodies from just one limb. Could more research into starfish regeneration enhance the research for human issue regeneration? How?
    Posted by Lauren Shone

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    1. There are so many species that have this ability. It comes down to the complexity of the regeneration and the organism itself. Starfish are rather simple compared to the axolotl and regeneration usually is not controlled. In the case of starfish sometimes more limbs grow back than there were before. My guess would be, that there is research done on those too, but studying a more complex organism would lead to better understanding of the mechanism.
      -Gene

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  3. Before reading this article, I didn't know that humans too have the ability to regenerate cartilage. Apparently, cartilage regeneration is actually a surgically procedure used in hospitals to replace any damaged or worn down cartilage in the knees. Specifically, this procedure is call the ACI, autologous chondrocyte implantation. During this procedure, healthy cartilage cells from the damaged knee are cultured and injected back for regeneration to take place.

    -Emily Wong

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  4. I wish we can regenerate quicker so if I can get height surgery I dont have to be in a wheelchair for 4 months. Im 5 foot 7 by the way. It would definitely be great for someone like me to make use of such an innovation, I hope scientists can find a way to speed up regeneration.

    Posted by King Wahib

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