A new review article entitled “Looking Ahead to Engineering Epimorphic Regeneration of a Human Digit or Limb, ” has just been published in Tissue Engineering, Part B, Reviews. The coauthors of this study are Lina M. Quijano, Kristen M. Lynch, and Tabassum Ahsan of Tulane University, Christopher H. Allan from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Stephen F. Badylak of the University of Pittsburgh.
As indicated in the February 8, 2016 news release, “…explore the highly ambitious goal of epimorphic regeneration in humans, which would require the regrowth of multiple tissues that would then need to be assembled in the proper conformation and patterns to create a fully functional limb. The authors approach this fascinating subject—a combination of the latest advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine—by examining the process of human digit healing and published reports of regenerative potential. They provide a comprehensive look at the processes of epimorphic regeneration in non-mammalian systems and describe some mammalian models of regeneration, including the digit tip of the mouse. This model can serve as a comparison of regeneration-competent and regeneration-incompetent tissue in the same animal.”
“There is a critical need to develop engineered tissues with complex physiologies, such as a complete limb, and the paper by Quijano and colleagues identifies some of the key components required for these developments, ” says Reviews Co-Editor-in-Chief John P. Fisher, Ph.D. Professor and Associate Chair, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.
Asked about the origin of this research, Tabassum Ahsan, Ph.D., told OTW, “I had a fortuitous interaction with the biologist Ken Muneoka, who made me realize that my expertise in bioengineering and tissue engineering might be useful in this ‘holy grail’ of regeneration.”
“Actually, I hadn’t known previously that humans, clinically documented in children and young adults, have some potential to regenerate after amputation. I, like most people, believed that epimorphic regeneration, the regrowth of digits or limbs after amputation, was limited to species such as newts and worms. I was extremely excited to realize that there might be a path to promote epimorphic regeneration in humans.”
“As we advance this technology, it will become increasing important for clinicians to realize that synthetic prosthetics are not the only recourse for amputees. Likely appropriate wound management immediately after amputation will be a critical aspect for creating a regeneration-permissive environment, whether it be to restore all the lost tissue or to provide a better biological interface with advanced prosthetics. Ultimately, as we start to properly identify the sequences of events necessary for epimorphic regeneration, it will become important to engage orthopedic surgeons in both the clinical and research aspects of this field.”
