Maybe The Most Exciting Breakthrough Yet! The Magic Mouse

This is so excitng I'm simply hopping! Here we go people! If this get's developed further and in human beings, well it's almost incalculable the number of good things it will do. Imagine losing a limb to an accident and rather than long and painful rehabilitation and then getting fit for a prosthetic device, even the really cool new bionic limbs in development, you instead have your limb regrown!

Oh don't stop there! Got a bad kidney, a liver rotted to the core, panacreas gave you diabetes? Grow new ones! I'll go so far as to hazard a guess that one could grow the new one along side the old -- how else would it work for certain organs after all that you can't live without-- and if so then maybe to catch up on health one could have two of something. That may be wild speculation but so was even considering this just a few years ago. It might be possible to target areas of an organ and therby rejuvenate the old ones like maybe the heart. Sound good? I can't wait for it myself.

The Sunday Times - Britain

August 28, 2005

'Miracle mouse' can grow back lost limbs

Jonathan Leake, Science Editor

SCIENTISTS have created a “miracle mouse” that can regenerate amputated limbs or badly damaged organs, making it able to recover from injuries that would kill or permanently disable normal animals.

The experimental animal is unique among mammals in its ability to regrow its heart, toes, joints and tail.

The researchers have also found that when cells from the test mouse are injected into ordinary mice, they too acquire the ability to regenerate.

The discoveries raise the prospect that humans could one day be given the ability to regenerate lost or damaged organs, opening up a new era in medicine.

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I happen to be a quadriplegic and I also just happen to suffer the world's worst case of a very rare bone disease. That disease has totally destroyed my pelvic area, hip joints and heads of my femurs. For that matter both my legs are pretty much shot from this disease. It is called Heterotrophic Ossification where bone material just goes nuts and deposits everywhere randomly but mostly in the joints locking them up solid. My right knee is shot too from it so basically. If there ever is a cure for spinal injury it won't likely immediately help me walk. In fact though I'd want to try it just to get my fingers and hands back and control of certain daily needs, it might actually make the chronic pain I already suffer much worse.

However, maybe one day there'll be a way to regrow all these areas so badly damaged and give me a shot at regaining the life I lost. I can't wait to run pell mell through a field as fast as I can and feel the wind rush past my face once again.