Latest news with #JamesMonaghan
Miami Herald
13 hours ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Scientists studying axolotls in hopes of learning how to regrow limbs
With their goofy grins and feathery gills, axolotls have become stars of the pet world and video games like Minecraft. But these small, smiling salamanders are also helping scientists explore a medical mystery: Can people someday regrow arms or legs? Axolotls are special because they can regrow body parts no matter the age. Lose a leg? They'll grow it back. Damage to their heart, lungs or even brain? They can also repair that! 'This species is special,' lead researcher James Monaghan, a biologist at Northeastern University in Boston, told The Washington Post. They have 'really become the champion of some extreme abilities that animals have.' In a new study -- published Tuesday in Nature Communications -- Monaghan's team used genetically engineered axolotls that glow in the dark to learn how this amazing process works. One mystery in limb regrowth is how cells 'know' which part of the limb to rebuild. If an axolotl loses its upper arm, it grows back the entire arm. But if the injury is farther down, only the lower arm and hand regrow. 'Salamanders have been famous for their ability to regenerate arms for centuries,' Monaghan said. 'One of the outstanding questions that has really plagued the field is how a salamander knows what to grow back.' The answer may be a small molecule called retinoic acid. It's related to vitamin A and often used in skin-care products under the name retinol. The molecule acts like a GPS, helping cells know where they are on the body and what part to rebuild. Monaghan's team worked with axolotls that were genetically engineered to glow when retinoic acid was active. Then, they amputated limbs -- after giving the animals anesthesia -- and tracked their health, The Post reported. Monaghan said researchers monitored their health closely. 'They don't show signs of pain or distress after limb amputation the way mammals might, and they regenerate fully within weeks,' he said. When axolotls were given a drug that blocked the breakdown of retinoic acid, their limbs didn't regrow right -- an upper arm would form where a lower arm should be. Axolotls not given the drug regrew their limbs normally. This suggests that retinoic acid tells cells where they are and what part to grow. Higher levels of the acid seem to signal a spot closer to the body's center, according to The Post. 'While we are still far from regenerating human limbs, this study is a step in that direction,' said Prayag Murawala, a researcher at MDI Biological Laboratory in Maine, who helped make the glowing axolotls used in the study. Monaghan thinks this could help humans someday. 'We all have the same genes,' he said. 'We've all made these limbs when we were embryos.' The challenge is figuring out how to turn those same genetic blueprints back on later in life -- something axolotls can do but humans can't yet. 'It's one of the oldest questions in biology, but it's also the most futuristic-looking,' he said. Thanks to a growing interest in axolotls, especially among kids, this unique animal is helping to drive cutting-edge science. 'It's a little surreal,' Monaghan added. 'You just see axolotls at the airport, axolotls at the mall. My kids are coming home with axolotl toys all the time, because people know what I do.' More information The San Diego Zoo has more on axolotls. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Axolotls' Regenerative Abilities Could Teach Scientists a Thing or Two About Medicine
Axolotls might be cute enough to feature in a wide variety of games, TV shows, and children's toy brands, but that's not all that makes them special: The species is also exceptionally good at regenerating lost limbs and organs. Thinking that these smiling salamanders might have something to teach modern medicine, researchers in Boston are unpacking the molecules responsible for axolotls' rapid regrowth. One molecule in particular could someday help heal human wounds and replace lost limbs. The molecule is retinoic acid, according to a paper published Tuesday in Nature Communications. Human bodies make retinoic acid out of vitamin A (obtained by eating fish, dairy, and vegetables) and occasionally receive it through cosmetic retinoids, which are used to treat acne. The molecule is key to cell growth, and if too much of it is absorbed during pregnancy, it can lead to serious birth defects. In axolotls, retinoic acid takes that role a step further. Biologists at Northeastern University have found that axolotls rely on a retinoic acid signaling gradient, which allows different concentrations of the molecule to work in various parts of the body. Their shoulders, for instance, contain more retinoic acid (and less of the enzyme CYP26B1, which breaks it down) than their palms. When an axolotl loses its arm, the retinoic acid in its shoulder tells its fibroblasts, or regenerative cells, how to build a new one. This axolotl is regenerating an arm after an attack. Credit: HTO/Wikimedia Commons (public domain) According to Northeastern's write-up, this discovery led the researchers to conduct experiments that were, in their words, "pretty Frankensteiny." Adding bonus retinoic acid to an axolotl's hand allowed it to grow a duplicate limb, for example. But simply injecting a human with extra retinoic acid won't allow them to generate new body parts. Now, the researchers are working to untangle "shox," short for the "short homeobox gene." This gene activates whenever retinoic acid signaling increases in an axolotl's body, suggesting that shox plays a part in limb regeneration. Indeed, removing shox from an axolotl's genome caused it to grow "very short arms," albeit with normal-sized hands. Understanding how retinoic acid and shox collaborate will be the next step toward wielding axolotl insights in human medicine. "If we can find ways of making our fibroblasts listen to these regenerative cues, then they'll do the rest," said biologist and study co-author James Monaghan. "They know how to make a limb already because, just like the salamander, they made it during development."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists studying axolotls in hopes of learning how to regrow limbs
With their goofy grins and feathery gills, axolotls have become stars of the pet world and video games like Minecraft. But these small, smiling salamanders are also helping scientists explore a medical mystery: Can people someday regrow arms or legs? Axolotls are special because they can regrow body parts no matter the age. Lose a leg? They'll grow it back. Damage to their heart, lungs or even brain? They can also repair that! "This species is special," lead researcher James Monaghan, a biologist at Northeastern University in Boston, told The Washington Post. They have "really become the champion of some extreme abilities that animals have." In a new study -- published Tuesday in Nature Communications -- Monaghan's team used genetically engineered axolotls that glow in the dark to learn how this amazing process works. One mystery in limb regrowth is how cells "know" which part of the limb to rebuild. If an axolotl loses its upper arm, it grows back the entire arm. But if the injury is farther down, only the lower arm and hand regrow. "Salamanders have been famous for their ability to regenerate arms for centuries," Monaghan said. "One of the outstanding questions that has really plagued the field is how a salamander knows what to grow back." The answer may be a small molecule called retinoic acid. It's related to vitamin A and often used in skin-care products under the name retinol. The molecule acts like a GPS, helping cells know where they are on the body and what part to rebuild. Monaghan's team worked with axolotls that were genetically engineered to glow when retinoic acid was active. Then, they amputated limbs -- after giving the animals anesthesia -- and tracked their health, The Post reported. Monaghan said researchers monitored their health closely. "They don't show signs of pain or distress after limb amputation the way mammals might, and they regenerate fully within weeks," he said. When axolotls were given a drug that blocked the breakdown of retinoic acid, their limbs didn't regrow right -- an upper arm would form where a lower arm should be. Axolotls not given the drug regrew their limbs normally. This suggests that retinoic acid tells cells where they are and what part to grow. Higher levels of the acid seem to signal a spot closer to the body's center, according to The Post. "While we are still far from regenerating human limbs, this study is a step in that direction," said Prayag Murawala, a researcher at MDI Biological Laboratory in Maine, who helped make the glowing axolotls used in the study. Monaghan thinks this could help humans someday. "We all have the same genes," he said. "We've all made these limbs when we were embryos." The challenge is figuring out how to turn those same genetic blueprints back on later in life -- something axolotls can do but humans can't yet. "It's one of the oldest questions in biology, but it's also the most futuristic-looking," he said. Thanks to a growing interest in axolotls, especially among kids, this unique animal is helping to drive cutting-edge science. "It's a little surreal," Monaghan added. "You just see axolotls at the airport, axolotls at the mall. My kids are coming home with axolotl toys all the time, because people know what I do." More information The San Diego Zoo has more on axolotls. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
UPI
a day ago
- Health
- UPI
Scientists studying axolotls in hopes of learning how to regrow limbs
Researchers are studying axolotls -- "small, smiling salamanders" -- in the hopes of learning how humans might one day regrow arms or legs. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News With their goofy grins and feathery gills, axolotls have become stars of the pet world and video games like Minecraft. But these small, smiling salamanders are also helping scientists explore a medical mystery: Can people someday regrow arms or legs? Axolotls are special because they can regrow body parts no matter the age. Lose a leg? They'll grow it back. Damage to their heart, lungs or even brain? They can also repair that! "This species is special," lead researcher James Monaghan, a biologist at Northeastern University in Boston, told The Washington Post. They have "really become the champion of some extreme abilities that animals have." In a new study -- published Tuesday in Nature Communications -- Monaghan's team used genetically engineered axolotls that glow in the dark to learn how this amazing process works. One mystery in limb regrowth is how cells "know" which part of the limb to rebuild. If an axolotl loses its upper arm, it grows back the entire arm. But if the injury is farther down, only the lower arm and hand regrow. "Salamanders have been famous for their ability to regenerate arms for centuries," Monaghan said. "One of the outstanding questions that has really plagued the field is how a salamander knows what to grow back." The answer may be a small molecule called retinoic acid. It's related to vitamin A and often used in skin-care products under the name retinol. The molecule acts like a GPS, helping cells know where they are on the body and what part to rebuild. Monaghan's team worked with axolotls that were genetically engineered to glow when retinoic acid was active. Then, they amputated limbs -- after giving the animals anesthesia -- and tracked their health, The Post reported. Monaghan said researchers monitored their health closely. "They don't show signs of pain or distress after limb amputation the way mammals might, and they regenerate fully within weeks," he said. When axolotls were given a drug that blocked the breakdown of retinoic acid, their limbs didn't regrow right -- an upper arm would form where a lower arm should be. Axolotls not given the drug regrew their limbs normally. This suggests that retinoic acid tells cells where they are and what part to grow. Higher levels of the acid seem to signal a spot closer to the body's center, according to The Post. "While we are still far from regenerating human limbs, this study is a step in that direction," said Prayag Murawala, a researcher at MDI Biological Laboratory in Maine, who helped make the glowing axolotls used in the study. Monaghan thinks this could help humans someday. "We all have the same genes," he said. "We've all made these limbs when we were embryos." The challenge is figuring out how to turn those same genetic blueprints back on later in life -- something axolotls can do but humans can't yet. "It's one of the oldest questions in biology, but it's also the most futuristic-looking," he said. Thanks to a growing interest in axolotls, especially among kids, this unique animal is helping to drive cutting-edge science. "It's a little surreal," Monaghan added. "You just see axolotls at the airport, axolotls at the mall. My kids are coming home with axolotl toys all the time, because people know what I do." More information The San Diego Zoo has more on axolotls. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Glow-in-the-Dark Salamanders May Have Just Unlocked the Future of Regeneration
What if the key to human limb regeneration wasn't buried in sci-fi dreams—but already in your medicine cabinet? Scientists at Northeastern University have uncovered a breakthrough that's raising eyebrows in both the dermatology and regenerative biology worlds. The chemical at the center of it all? Retinoic acid—a form of vitamin A that's also the active ingredient in isotretinoin, better known as Accutane. In a new study, which was published in Nature Communications, researchers mapped how axolotls. The Mexican salamander has a freakish ability to regrow limbs using varying concentrations of retinoic acid to guide the regrowth of bones, joints, muscles and skin. When an axolotl loses a leg, it doesn't just grow back—it grows back perfectly. And scientists now understand more clearly how that biological GPS works. At the heart of the process is an enzyme called CYP26b1, which breaks down retinoic acid and dictates how much of the chemical floods a given area. Higher levels mean longer bone growth. Lower levels cue the development of feet and digits. The implications are massive: by controlling retinoic acid levels, scientists were able to create glow-in-the-dark salamanders with either perfectly formed limbs or comically misshapen ones. While these findings are still at the basic science stage, researchers believe they've taken a major step toward understanding how to activate dormant genetic mechanisms in humans. Because here's the kicker: the genes involved in limb regeneration already exist in our DNA. We just don't know how to switch them back on—yet. Retinoic acid has long been linked to fetal development, and now it's being eyed as a possible tool to coax adult tissues into reprogramming themselves post-injury. It's not a silver bullet, but it might be part of the recipe. 'We might just need to remind the body what it already knows how to do,' James Monaghan, the study's lead scientist, told Popular Science. If that's true, the path to real human regeneration might be shorter—and stranger—than we ever imagined. Glow-in-the-Dark Salamanders May Have Just Unlocked the Future of Regeneration first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025
