Who knew humans had salamander like qualities? Australian researchers have managed to locate the immune system cell in salamanders, allowing them to regenerate limbs or damaged organs even in their brains. These researchers think the same is possible for humans. But not only are these vertebrates regenerating pretty much any body part, the tissue that is regenerated is scar free.

Unfortunately for us mammals, damaged tissue will result in scar tissue. But this could all change, James Godwin and colleagues from Monash University’s Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute may have figured out how to transfer the salamanders regenerative powers to humans.

The key in this process is the presence of macrophages, these are the defence cells. These macrophages “play an important role in determining the mode of repair and instigating the tissue regeneration process.” This was highlighted when the research team removed these cells from salamanders, they discovered that the vertebrate was unable to regenerate their limbs as they normally do.

Godwin said:

Previously, we thought that macrophages were negative for regeneration, and this research shows that that’s not the case — if the macrophages are not present in the early phases of healing, regeneration does not occur.

Now, we need to find out exactly how these macrophages are contributing to regeneration. Down the road, this could lead to therapies that tweak the human immune system down a more regenerative pathway.

What the researchers discovered was that these macrophages release chemicals and these chemicals are of paramount importance for regeneration. Once researchers have found a way to “reverse-engineer” these chemicals into humans, they will be on top of a huge medical breakthrough.

[Source: iO9]