Miracle mice regenerate organs, nerves and bones

by limbic on September 1, 2005

From The Australian:

It’s a miracle: mice regrow hearts

SCIENTISTS have created “miracle mice” that can regenerate amputated limbs or damaged vital organs, making them able to recover from injuries that would kill or permanently disable normal animals.

The experimental animals are unique among mammals in their ability to regrow their heart, toes, joints and tail.

…”We have experimented with amputating or damaging several different organs, such as the heart, toes, tail and ears, and just watched them regrow,” she said.

“It is quite remarkable. The only organ that did not grow back was the brain.

“When we injected fetal liver cells taken from those animals into ordinary mice, they too gained the power of regeneration. We found this persisted even six months after the injection.”

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