What is Regenerative Health Biotechnology?
Scientists and doctors are tapping into the regenerative ability of the human body to cure debilitating diseases, repair or replace injured or diseased organs, bones, and nerves, and even grow new teeth. That sounds great – but what is regenerative biotechnology? In Florida, we commonly find skinks looking for insects or sunning on our houses, decks, and porches. As kids, we learned that if the family cat or a little brother pulled the tail from one of these lizards, the tail would grow back – it would regenerate. A newt can regenerate a severed hind leg, and if its lower jaw is cut off, it will grow back, complete with teeth. The flat worm Planaria, when cut in half, can grow a new head from one half and a new tail from the other. Further up the evolutionary chain, however, this amazing regenerative ability has been lost. Or has it?