UCL in the News: Limb regrowth a step closer after 'regenerative medicine' breakthrough

Today, a British team reports the discovery of a molecular signal that allows newts to re-grow a body part if it fails, is severed or is damaged. The discovery of how newts can regenerate their limbs - and their hearts, eyes and jaws - gives Prof Jeremy Brockes [UCL Biochemistry & Moleculr Biology] new hope that it could one day be possible to do the same in people. …

With Dr Anoop Kumar, Prof Brockes and colleagues report in the journal Science that a protein called nAG is made by cells at the end of the limb stump and this triggers the growth of the blastema. This takes them one step closer to finding out how to grow blastemas in mammals, which would pave the way to limb regeneration in people - at least in theory. …

Roger Highfield, 'Daily Telegraph'