Emerging Scholars

While many organisms possess the remarkable ability to regenerate lost body parts, humans have far more limited
regenerative capabilities. Harnessing regeneration could revolutionize medicine by serving as a replacement for
inaccessible limb transplants or functioning as part of treatments for organ failure from severe illnesses and chronic
conditions. Although humans have lost the ability to regenerate through evolution, studies from animal models of
regeneration offer insights for potential applications in clinical settings. Studies on zebrafish show that certain pieces
of the p53 signaling pathway can suppress blastema formation. Additionally, blastema can’t form without the
oncogene CK-2 in cockroaches. Short term regulation of these pathways could play a role in developing potential
clinical procedures for human regeneration.