Progress in Limb Regeneration

Published 2023-12-27

In a recent study published in the Journal Science, researchers from the Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, China transplanted deer antler cells into mice which developed into early forms of deer antlers. The transferred cells are blastema cells which are found in the stumps of deer antlers, responsible to regrow full antlers each spring. This process bears some similarity to the regrowth of salamander limbs which is also based on blastema cells. The ultimate goal will be to replicate this process of limb regeneration in humans with loss of limbs.