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Certain lizards can grow back severed tails, starfish can regrow arms, and our skin will regrow after a papercut... On some level, all animals can do a little regeneration, but why can't we sprout new limbs? Join us to hear expert scientists explain how we can harness and improve our ability to regenerate to improve patient outcomes.
Visualising the Regenerating Nervous System
Dr Alice Mortimer
(Clinical Research Fellow, The University of Manchester)
The peripheral nervous system has the intrinsic capacity to regenerate, yet patients seldom fully recover from peripheral nerve injuries. The question is: why is this the case, and how can we harness this regenerative capacity to improve patient outcomes? In my work I investigate the dynamics of the regenerating neuronal skeleton to identify the structures responsible for the remodelling of injured nerves. An understanding of where, how, and when the cellular skeleton is remodelled will be important when considering novel treatments for nerve injury.
Uncovering the secrets of tissue and organ regeneration
Professor Enrique Amaya
(Professor of Tissue Regeneration, The University of Manchester)
The ability to grow back organs, arms and even heads has captured the imagination of humans, from ancient Greek mythologies to modern-day science fiction. We lack such abilities to heal and regenerate lost, injured, or diseased body parts, whereas a vast majority of organisms possess this regenerative capacity. Salamanders can regrow arms and flatworms can regrow their heads after injury. Our research delves into the mechanisms that imbue these organisms with such magical abilities in the hopes that we might be able to apply this knowledge to induce a better regenerative response in humans.
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