Science Goes Out on a Limb to Grow New Body Parts

Oh, just grow a pair already.

A pair of feet, that is. Or perhaps even a pair of lungs.

Medical science is on the verge of achieving the remarkable capacity for human tissue regeneration. Several marine and reptilian life forms possess the capacity to regrow missing parts. Humans may soon be able to benefit from the next best thing, as we learn from Popular Mechanics.

The body parts for which tissue regeneration appears to be within the reach of state-of-the-art medical science are several. Replacement tissue for the heart, breasts and lungs are showing promise. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have uncovered a unique enzyme capable of repairing the scar tissue that typically forms on injured spinal cords, permitting new nerve cells to grow, pointing the way toward rehabilitation of spinal cord injury.

And this certainly deserves a hand: legs and feet, arms and hands are also on the roster of parts that we may be able to soon re-create. Salk Institute scientists have focused attention on a specific sequential interaction between enzymes and genetic switches that permits fin regrowth in zebra fish. These ordered biochemical and genetic processes are being more closely investigated with the hope of harnessing the same in people who have damaged or lost limbs.

Photo courtesy of jessicaflavin, via Flickr