Scientists have regrown a frog's lost leg in a lab and say it brings dreams of human limb regeneration a step closer to reality.
Scientists successfully pulled off the feat with the animal and mammals could be next in line for experimentation. A US team used a cocktail of drugs applied in a wearable dome which was sealed over the frog's stump.After just 24 hours, the dome was removed and the leg's 18-month regrowth period had begun.
The groundbreaking therapy has excited the study's first author Dr Nirosha Murugan, who said: "It's exciting to see the drugs we selected were helping to create an almost complete limb.The scientist at Tufts University added: "The fact it required only a brief exposure to the drugs to set in motion a months-long regeneration process suggests frogs and perhaps other animals may have dormant regenerative capabilities that can be triggered into action." Researchers triggered the regenerative process in African clawed frogs by enclosing the wound in a silicone cap - called a BioDome.
It contained a silk protein gel loaded with five drugs - each fulfilling a different purpose. They dampened inflammation and inhibited production of collagen which causes scarring.
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