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Wouldn't It Be Nice To Have Regenerative Superpowers?
Plus: eat well with arthritis!
The 10almonds Team
December 06, 2023
⏰ IN A RUSH?
Today’s 30-Second Summary
If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:
A drug, 1,4-dihydrophenonthrolin-4-one-3-carboxylic acid (1,4-DPCA), can induce regenerative healing powers in mammals, similar to the “regrow a tail/limb/etc” powers of some amphibians.
So far it’s been used to regenerate (with no scarring) skin, cartilage, bone, nerves, and other bodily tissues—but has so far only been tested in small mammals. Next step will be bigger non-human mammals, hopefully next year, and finally humans.
We know that 10almonds subscribers like clear, simple, health information.
So you might like today’s sponsor, The Weekly Rep: a free newsletter giving fitness advice, wellness tips, and more—all in a five-minute read, delivered on Tuesday mornings in "digest" style.
Read on to learn about these things and more…
👀 WATCH AND LEARN
Why does my hip click when I do one leg circle? (8:38)
The intro is fascinating if you enjoy learning about the conventions of anatomical nomenclature, but if you just want to skip to the actual explanation, that starts at 4:40 😎
Want to watch it, but not right now? Bookmark it for later 🔖
🐭 MAIN FEATURE
The Best-Laid Schemes of Mice and Medical Researchers…
This is Dr. Ellen Heber-Katz. She’s an internationally-renowned immunologist and regeneration biologist, but her perhaps greatest discovery was accidental.
Unlike in Robert Burns’ famous poem, this one has a happy ending!
But it did involve the best-laid schemes of mice and medical researchers, and how they did indeed “gang gagly“ (or in the English translation, “go awry”).
How it started…
Back in 1995, she was conducting autoimmune research, and doing a mouse study. Her post-doc assistant was assigned to punch holes in the ears of mice that had received an experimental treatment, to distinguish them from the control group.
However, when the mice were later checked, none of them had holes (nor even any indication there ever had been holes punched)—the experiment was ruined, though the post-doc swore she did her job correctly.
So, they had to start from scratch in the new year, but again, a second batch of mice repeated the trick. No holes, no wounds, no scarring, not disruption to their fur, no damage to the cartilage that had been punched through.
In a turn of events worthy of a superhero origin story, they discovered that their laboratory-made autoimmune disease had accidentally given the mice super-healing powers of regeneration.
In the animal kingdom, this is akin to a salamander growing a new tail, but it’s not something usually found in mammals.
How it’s going…
Dr. Heber-Katz and colleagues took another 20 years of work to isolate hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) as a critical molecule that, if blocked, would eliminate the regenerative response.
Further, a drug (which they went on to patent), 1,4-dihydrophenonthrolin-4-one-3-carboxylic acid (1,4-DPCA), chemically induced this regenerative power:
Another 5 years later, they found that this same drug can be used to stimulate the regrowth of bones, too:
And now…
The research is continuing. Here’s the latest, a little over a month ago:
Regrowing nerves has also been added into the list of things the drug can do.
What about humans?
Superpowered mice are all very well and good, but when can we expect this in humans?
The next step is testing the drug in larger animals, which she hopes to do next year, followed eventually by studies in humans.
Read the latest:
Regrowing nerves and healing without scars? A scientist's career-long quest comes closer to fruition
Very promising!
❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE
🌎 AROUND THE WEB
What’s happening in the health world…
For green spaces to be most beneficial to health, they need to be walkable
Forever chemicals found in freshwater fish, yet most states don’t warn residents
High altitude training shows promise for patients ahead of surgery
Hope for autoimmune skin disorder sufferers with new immunotherapy strategy
Study shows health care costs lower for patients treated by female surgeons
Exploring the link between dietary habits and metabolic health risks in non-communicable diseases
Cancer patients with opioid use disorder face obstacles to treatment
More to come tomorrow!
📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW
Eat Well With Arthritis: Over 85 delicious recipes from Arthritis Foodie – by Emily Johnson, with Dr. Deepak Ravindran
Author Emily Johnson was diagnosed with arthritis in her early 20s, but it had been affecting her life since the age of 4. Suffice it to say, managing the condition has been integral to her life.
She's written this book with not only her own accumulated knowledge, but also the input of professional experts; the book contains insights from chronic pain specialist Dr. Deepak Ravindran, and gets an additional medical thumbs-up in a foreword by rheumatologist Dr. Lauren Freid.
The recipes themselves are clear and easy, and the ingredients are not obscure. There's information on what makes each dish anti-inflammatory, per ingredient, so if you have cause to make any substitutions, that's useful to know.
Speaking of ingredients, the recipes are mostly plant-based (though there are some chicken/fish ones) and free from common allergens—but not all of them are, so each of those is marked appropriately.
Beyond the recipes, there are also sections on managing arthritis more generally, and information on things to get for your kitchen that can make your life with arthritis a lot easier!
Bottom line: if you have arthritis, cook for somebody with arthritis, or would just like a low-inflammation diet, then this is an excellent book for you.
What did you think of today's newsletter?We always love to hear from you, whether you leave us a comment or even just a click in the poll if you're speeding by! |
Wishing you ever-replenishing good health,
The 10almonds Team