Possible Stem Cell Regeneration in Fingernails Could Help Amputees Grow New Limbs

A new study shows that as humans, we have the ability to actually regenerate cells from a shaved finger or toe that can turn into a new one.

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center examined humans whose fingertips had been amputated to see that in as little as two months, they can actually grow back. They used genetically engineered mice to document findings for the study. According to researchers, these results hold promise for amputees who may one day be able to benefit from therapies that help regenerate lost limbs.

"Everyone knows that fingernails keep growing, but no one really knows why," said lead author Mayumi Ito, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU School of Medicine, via News Wise.

Ito and colleagues are hoping to discover important clues that could help lead them to eventually renewing stem cells found in the nail matrix. This is what researchers define as part of the nail bed that is rich in nerve endings and blood vessels that stimulate nail growth. Scientists have also discovered that they depend on the "Wnt signaling network"-which allows the same proteins that play a crucial role in hair and tissue regeneration, to hopefully, regenerate bone in fingertips.

"When we blocked the Wnt-signaling pathway in mice with amputated fingertips, the nail and bone did not grow back as they normally would," Ito said.

The researchers also discovered that they could stimulate regeneration in bone and other tissues through the manipulation of the Wnt pathway. "Amputations of this magnitude ordinarily do not grow back," he added.

Researchers are hopeful that this could potentially help with new therapies in which lost limbs could be regenerated.

The Amputee Coalition lists that nearly 2 million people in the United States alone suffer from limb loss that may have come from various diseases or infections, as well as injuries that could not be repaired. It adds that 185,000 amputations occur every year in the United States.

Researchers hope that further studies can move them closer to actually putting the process to work.

The information for the study can be found in the journal Nature.