Salamander link to spinal injury therapyRSS Feed

Spinal cord injury treatments may be based on the regenerative qualities of salamanders, as researchers find a link between the creature and stem cell therapies.

Speaking today (July 12th) at the UK National Stem Cell Network annual conference about research carried out on a Mexican aquatic salamander known as an axolotl, Dr Andrew Johnson will suggest that pluripotency is an ancient evolutionary concept.

Pluripotency is the ability of an embryonic stem cell to become any kind of cell.

"Even though received wisdom is that it evolved with mammals, our research suggests that it was there all along, just not in many of the species that people use in the lab," he explained ahead of the event.

"In fact, pluripotent cells probably exist in the embryos of the simple animals from which amphibians evolved."

Axolotls, or more commonly known as wooper loopers, are favourites for scientific research because of their ability to regenerate body parts.

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Posted by Matthew Dixon

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