Axolotl Discovery Brings Us Closer Than Ever to Regrowing . . . Closer to the shoulder, axolotls have higher levels of retinoic acid, and lower levels of the enzyme that breaks it down This ratio changes the further the limb extends from the body The team found this balance between retinoic acid and the enzyme that breaks it down plays a crucial role in 'programming' the cluster of regenerative cells that
Humans Already Have the Ingredients to Regrow Limbs Larger limbs at proximal sites closer to the body, such as arms, contain more retinoic acid and less CYP26B1 (which breaks the retinoic acid down) And in smaller sites further from the body, like
How Do Axolotls Regenerate Their Limbs? Among biologists, axolotls are famous for their remarkable regenerative abilities that allow them to regrow entire limbs and even organs Now, James Monaghan , biology chair and professor at Northeastern University, has begun to uncover the secret behind the axolotl’s superpower and how it could be used to advance human regenerative medicine
Secrets of axolotl healing could teach us how to regrow limbs Cracking that code could bring medicine a step closer to scar-free healing – and, one day, the chance to replace more than a fingertip For now, the smiling axolotl keeps teaching us that the blueprints for regeneration are already inside our own cells The challenge is learning how to read them What this could mean for medicine