Deer Antlers Grown in Lab Mice in Pursuit of Regenerative Medicine — China

Chinese researchers have grown deer antlers in lab mice in an effort to advance the field of regenerative medicine.

According to a recent paper, researchers have created "mini-antlers" on mice by introducing deer genes into the genome of a mouse. The findings imply that some regenerative genes may still be present in mammals that have lost the capacity to regenerate organs, and it could potentially be possible to use antlers' rapid growth for other purposes.

In contrast to the current clinical approach, which primarily focuses on treating the symptoms, regenerative medicine aims to restore tissue or organs that have been damaged by disease, trauma, or congenital issues, according to the University of Pittsburgh - McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Tissue engineering, medical devices, cellular therapies, and artificial organs are the means used to achieve these results.

Tiny Deer Antlers for Regenerative Medicines

Antlers are one of the fastest-regenerating tissues in the animal kingdom and provide a clear example of how mammals can regularly regenerate cells, growing at a rate of 2.75 centimeters per day. Because mammals as a whole no longer have the ability to regenerate organs and the majority of other tissues, antlers are particularly intriguing. A large appendage that regularly regrows, antlers provide unmatched overview of how regenerative medicine for bones may function.

Chinese researchers, Toa Qin and several colleagues, delved deeply into the mechanisms underlying the antlers of Sika deer, which grow each year before being shed in the search for regenerative medicines. By isolating numerous single cells and genes essential for the growth of the antler tissue, they were able to create a regenerative "atlas" of Sika deer antlers.

Shedding Antlers and Lab Mice

The researchers discovered one type of stem cell ten days right before antlers were shed, and these cells persisted with the antlers for only a brief duration after shedding. However, a new subtype of stem cells had emerged by day five post-shedding.

Following the discovery of various growth stages, the team isolated the stem cells with the highest potential for regrowth from shed antlers that were five days old or older, cultured the samples in a Petri dish, and then injected them into mice's heads.

The lab mice had developed recognizable mini-antlers after 45 days as a result of the stem cells categorizing into osteochondral tissue, which is an essential component of bone fracture repair. The researchers were able to see how the genetic mechanisms that cause the antlers to develop and how they might be applied in human bone medicine thanks to the antlers' rapid elongation.

The Future of Broken Bones

Such a treatment might give rise to ethical questions regarding the implantation of cells from different species as well as the extensive safety testing that would be necessary before it could be approved. However, it's possible that related genes could be found in mammals if the underlying mechanisms of regeneration can be discovered.

Even though the findings can't quite be applied to fixing broken legs, they provide a completely new perspective on how mammals could regenerate tissue, both through mechanisms found in their own genomes as well as with assistance from antler stem cells, IFL Science reports.

The study by Qin and several colleages was recently published in the journal Science.