Key points from article :
Brief exposure to a drug cocktail for 24 hours triggered an 18 month period of the regenerative process to give rise to a functional limb.
Nirosha Murugan quoted "...animals may have dormant regenerative capabilities that can be triggered into action."
A silicone cap containing a five-drug cocktail was used to enclose the wound post-amputation in the hind leg.
The drugs each had a different purpose; reduce inflammation, produce collagen to stop scar tissue growth, promote the growth of new nerve fibres, blood vessels, and muscle.
An almost fully functional leg with bone tissue and toe-like structures at the end of the limb was formed post-treatment.
Drugs activated molecular pathways linked to limb mapping in a developing embryo.
“Covering the open wound with a liquid environment under the [silicone cap], with the right drug cocktail could provide the necessary first signals to set the regenerative process in motion,” said Michael Levin, Vannevar Bush professor of biology and director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts.
Bob Lanza, head of Astellas Global Regenerative Medicine said, "With the right combination of drugs and factors a similar approach could potentially spur regeneration and restore lost function in humans.”
Michael Schneider, a cardiology professor at Imperial College London said is interested to see whether this approach, possibly with further refinements, also can be applied to mammals.
Research led by Murugan et al, Tufts University published in Science Advance.
