A remarkable new study on lizards’ cartilage regeneration mastery could have a fantastic impact on the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Once again, science has captivated us with new findings that lizards’ essential cells for tail regeneration could be vital to treating osteoarthritis – a degenerative disease many suffer with.
Thanks to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), this discovery could unlock ways for millions to target this debilitating condition head-on.
Here is the story.
A groundbreaking discovery – osteoarthritis treatment could take a fascinating turn
Lizards are well known for their remarkable ability to shed and regrow their tails, which got scientists in Southern California thinking.
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine have amazingly uncovered the key cells behind this regenerative process and believe this could be the key to changing how we see osteoarthritis treatment.
The debilitating disease, which affects millions worldwide, involves the breakdown of cartilage, leading to pain and loss of mobility. The new findings could pave the way for novel therapies for osteoarthritis, a disease for which a cure is unknown.
Lizard tail regeneration research – impressive results
During their studies, researchers found that while the lizard’s regenerated tail appears to be an ordinary one, it has, in fact, been replaced by pliable cartilage.
Researchers at USC have dissected this fascinating mechanism to get to the bottom of the process, unlocking insights that could revolutionize medical treatment for humans in the future.
Published in the journal Nature Communications, this groundbreaking study outlines the intricate step-by-step process between two types of cells that underpin the lizard’s cartilage regeneration mastery.
Co-author of the study and assistant professor Thomas Lozito said, “Lizards are kind of magical in their ability to regenerate cartilage because they can regenerate large amounts of cartilage, and it doesn’t transition to bone”.
Interestingly, lizards are the closest relatives to mammals with this ability, which gives scientists hope that this discovery could help with osteoarthritis treatment – a disease affecting ten per cent of people in the USA.
Future plans – ongoing research into potential treatments
While this is a fascinating discovery, Dr Lozito is adamant that they must fully understand the process and do more testing before it can be used on mammals.
“The dream is to find a way to translate that process in humans because they cannot repair cartilage,” he explained. “This represents an important step because we must understand the process in great detail before trying to recreate it in mammals”.
In a groundbreaking experiment, scientists successfully induced cartilage regeneration in various lizard limbs – areas which are not supposed to regrow like the tail.
Researchers are now preparing to extend their experiments to mammals starting with mice, and if all goes well, humans could benefit from this remarkable cartilage regeneration treatment in the future.
This marks a new era in regenerative treatment, and the discovery certainly gives hope to millions suffering from this crippling disease worldwide. Only time will tell how the research develops, but it’s certainly off to a great start.