Regenerative Medicine

Sufferers of chronic lower back pain know there's no magic bullet when it comes to easing the often debilitating symptoms of degenerative disk disease. But new regenerative cell therapy delivered with a single injection is hoping to be just that.

Getting stem cells to help repair brain tissue after injury relies on the survival of those cells. Now, a hybrid gel that helps provide the much-needed oxygen for those cells on site may be the boost needed for more effective therapy and recovery.

An international team of scientists has found a way to regenerate kidneys damaged by disease, restoring function and preventing kidney failure. The discovery could help improve treatments for complications stemming from diabetes and other diseases.

A new experimental treatment could help treat end-stage liver disease – by growing tiny new livers elsewhere in the patient’s bodies. The technique, pioneered by cell therapy company LyGenesis, is due to begin human clinical trials within weeks.

Researchers have found that the “mother” of stem cells, known as totipotent stem cells, have a much slower rate of DNA replication, which helps improve their differentiation efficiency. This could lead to major breakthrough for regenerative medicine.

Animals like axolotls can regrow fully functional replacements for lost limbs. In a breakthrough new study, scientists have demonstrated how one dose of a drug cocktail can regrow lost limbs in frogs that don’t normally have regenerative abilities.

After an injury, nerves struggle to regrow completely, leaving patients with reduced mobility and sensation. In tests on rats, researchers have now demonstrated a way to improve nerve repair using proteins from the support network around cells.

A new type of artificial scaffold encourages regenerating neurons to grow towards one another and bridge busted connections more efficiently, offering new hope for healing damaged spinal cords and restoring communication links between the brain and body.

Spotted salamanders are unique among vertebrates, in that they're the only ones whose embryos have an algae living inside them. Scientists are now hoping that a better understanding of this symbiotic relationship could lead to new drugs for humans.

Lizards can regrow their tails, but the new tail isn't quite perfect. Scientists have now used stem cell therapy to let lizards grow better tails – bones, nerves and all – in an advance that could have implications for better wound healing in humans.

The heart has a limited capacity to heal itself, so heart attack survivors often have further episodes. Now, scientists have grown heart cells from stem cells, embedded them onto microspheres and injected them into damaged hearts to help repair them.

Researchers at Salk Institute have uncovered a mechanism by which stem cells can help regenerate muscles. The discovery could provide a new drug target for repairing muscles after injury or rebuilding muscle mass lost during the normal aging process.