regenerate tissue tagged posts

Many people have experienced the struggles of dealing with low back pain. A common cause of this pain is degeneration of intervertebral disks (IVDs), which are located between the vertebrae and help give the spinal column its flexibility. Thus, IVD degeneration can lead to more serious conditions such as spinal deformity. In a recent article published in Biomaterials, a team led by researchers at Osaka University and Kyoto University demonstrated that using cartilage tissue derived from human stem cells could help prevent the loss of functionality from IVD degeneration.

It is believed that IVD degeneration originates in the nucleus pulposus (NP), which is composed of NP cells that produce the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM)...

Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)

A York team has adapted the astonishing capacity of animals such as newts to regenerate lost tissues and organs caused when they have a limb severed. Dr Paul Genever’s team developed a technique to rejuvenate cells from older people with osteoarthritis to repair worn or damaged cartilage thus reducing pain.

There is currently no treatment to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis, and people with severe disease often need total joint replacement surgery. A patient’s own bone marrow stem cells are can generate joint tissue the body will not reject when re-implanted. But, as people grow older the number of stem cells decreases and those that remain are less able to grow and repair tissue.

Cells in newts can change in response to injury ie dedif...