Regenerative Medicine
Summary
Dr. Stephen Badylak of the McGowan Institute at the University of Pittsburgh is leading one of many teams of scientists conducting research in regenerative medicine. They are conducting experiments with “extra cellular matrix,” a substance made from pig bladders, which “tells the body to start the process of tissue regrowth”.
In theory, every tissue in the body has cells that are capable of regeneration. All scientists have to do is find enough of those cells and direct them to grow. The extra cellular matrix summons the cells, and then tells them what to do - become a blood vessel, a nerve, a muscle, etc. In theory, whole limbs could be regenerated.
Keywords: Stephen Badylak, McGowan Institute, Regenerative Medicine, extra cellular matrix
