Geckos' superpower of "regenerating severed limbs" inspires human "regenerative medicine"

Do you still remember the little gecko who lost his tail in "The Little Gecko Borrows His Tail"?

The little gecko borrowed a tail from everywhere, but in the end it was surprised to find that it had grown a new tail. Do you think this "superpower" of the little gecko is amazing?

This "superpower" is actually "regeneration".

Do we humans also possess such "super powers"?

Unfortunately, as of now, the answer is no.

You may say that my hand was scratched and the wound healed after a few days, isn't that regeneration? Indeed, our skin, bones, etc. have a certain ability to regenerate and repair themselves after injury, but most of the tissues and organs of the human body, such as the heart, nerves, and cartilage, do not have this ability.

Therefore, "regenerative medicine" was born. Regenerative medicine materials are an indispensable part of regenerative medicine.

You may already know that cells are the smallest unit of life. The growth, differentiation, aging and death of cells determine the entire process of life from birth, development to death.

Just like each of us has a home, cells do not exist in isolation. They must attach to some natural materials to survive and play their role. These natural materials are called "extracellular matrix".

Regenerative medicine materials are the new "homes" that scientists build for cells. This "home" can not only simulate the extracellular matrix and provide a good environment for cell growth, but also direct cells to play their own roles, transport important therapeutic "drugs" to the damaged site, activate regenerative potential, and thus help regenerate and repair damaged tissues and organs.

Not only that, scientists have also discovered that the properties of the materials used to build this "home", such as its composition, structure, and surface properties, can also become important signals for "commanding" cells. In other words, these materials have tissue induction properties, and can therefore also be called "tissue-inducing biomaterials."

What is even more amazing is that when new tissues and organs slowly grow and this "home" has completed its mission, it will gradually be degraded and replaced, and disappear.

You may not know that behind this discovery lies more than 30 years of persistence.

In 1990, Zhang Xingdong, who was studying solid-state physics, and his students discovered that a piece of porous calcium phosphate ceramic he had buried under the muscle and skin of an animal had actually "turned" into a real bone!

How can inanimate materials "transform" into living tissues?

If the mystery here can be revealed, wouldn’t there be hope for many patients?

Thinking of this, Zhang Xingdong, who was already 52 years old, resolutely shifted his research focus to regenerative medicine materials.

"Because this is what the country needs." Academician Zhang Xingdong said, recalling the decision at that time.

After conducting the same experiment on nearly 200 animals, Zhang Xingdong confidently presented his conclusion at the World Bioceramics Congress in Italy in 1991: "Osteoinductive biomaterials", that is, inanimate biomaterials can induce the formation of living bones.

At that time, it was generally believed that materials could not induce tissue regeneration. How could an inanimate object induce the formation of living tissue? This was simply a fantasy! Questions repeatedly struck Zhang Xingdong's eardrums: "How can a physics major like him understand cell biology and molecular biology? His ideas are weird..."

Zhang Xingdong did not back down and always believed in his conclusion because it "came from my real experiments and from facts." In order to verify his conclusion, foreign experts were sent to his laboratory to conduct experiments with him. In the end, the facts forced them to admit that Zhang Xingdong's conclusion was correct. Zhang Xingdong became the first person in the world to discover and confirm that materials can induce bone formation.

Since then, Zhang Xingdong has continuously verified and developed his own theories, and proposed the concept of "tissue-induced biomaterials" for the first time in the world. To this end, he insisted on doing a lot of experiments: "Scientific and technological innovation requires bold imagination, rigorous experiments and unremitting efforts, speaking with data and facts. I have never thought of giving up!"

In 2018, the International Consensus on the Definition of Biomaterials included tissue-inducing biomaterials in the list of "Definitions of Biomaterials". This is the first internationally recognized definition of biomaterials proposed by Chinese scientists and was called "the concept of a new generation of biomaterials" by experts attending the meeting from all over the world.

Now, based on this concept, scientists have developed various regenerative medicine materials to repair our skin, bones, and cartilage. Some scientists are even studying materials that can repair nerves, corneas, blood vessels, and hearts.

It seems that the day when we humans possess "superpowers" like geckos is not far away. Are you willing to work hard to shorten this time?

Source: Chongqing Industry-University-Research Cooperation Promotion Association

Author: Pan Fusheng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor of Chongqing University, Chairman of Chongqing Association for Science and Technology

Review expert: Mao Yi, chief expert of Chongqing Science Communication Expert Group, professor of Chongqing Electronic Engineering Vocational College

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