ScienceDaily (Oct. 12,
2012) — While it is well known that starfish, zebrafish and salamanders
can re-grow damaged limbs, scientists understand very little about the
regenerative capabilities of mammals. Now, researchers at Wake Forest Baptist
Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine report on the regenerative
process that enables rats to re-grow their bladders within eight weeks.
In PLOS ONE, a
peer-reviewed, online publication, the scientists characterize this unique
model of bladder regeneration with the goal of applying what they learn to
human patients.
"A better understanding
of the regenerative process at the molecular and cellular level is a key to
more rapid progress in applying regenerative medicine to help patients,"
said George Christ, Ph.D., senior researcher and professor of regenerative
medicine at Wake Forest Baptist.
In a previous study by
Christ's team, research in rats showed that when about 75 percent of the
animals' bladders were removed, they were able to regenerate a complete
functional bladder within eight weeks. The current study focused on how the
regeneration occurs.
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