Nearly two million Americans have undergone limb amputation due to injury or disease, and this number is expected to rise. Yet no biological therapeutic has been devised to address this problem. Humans and other mammals have extremely limited regenerative capabilities in their limbs, but axolotl salamanders – whose limbs are anatomically similar to ours – can replace entire lost limbs throughout life.
This amazing feat presents an opportunity to learn about natural cellular reprogramming in animals. But crucial molecular mechanistic details about how axolotls regenerate limbs has yet to be revealed.
Our laboratory has developed powerful tools to investigate these mechanisms, as understanding limb regeneration in these animals can inform the way we approach regenerative medicine in humans.