Scientists studying a shared gene in three very different animals, axolotls, mice, and zebrafish, have uncovered a possible path toward a future gene therapy that could help humans regrow lost limbs. The findings were published this week.
“This significant research brought together three labs, working across three organisms to compare regeneration,” said Wake Forest Assistant Professor of Biology Josh Currie, whose lab focuses on the Mexican axolotl salamander. “It showed us that there are universal, unifying genetic programs that are driving regeneration in very different types of organisms, salamanders, zebrafish, and mice.”
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also involved David A. Brown, a Duke University plastic surgeon who studies digit regrowth in mice, and Kenneth D. Poss of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who researches fin regeneration in zebrafish.
Globally, more than 1 million amputations occur each year due to conditions such as diabetes, traumatic injuries, cancer, and infections, according to Global Burden of Disease data. This number is expected to increase as the population ages and diabetes becomes more common.
In response, the researchers are exploring options that go beyond prosthetics, aiming to restore the sensory and motor functions of natural limbs.
Their work points to a group of genes known as SP genes, which appear to play a central role in regeneration and are shared across mice, zebrafish, and axolotls.
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