When someone undergoes a catastrophic event that results in limb amputation, paralysis, or something similar to the highest degree, it becomes life changing. These events do not always have an extravagant story, sometimes bone cancer takes away a child’s arm or a gentleman had too high of an insulin resistance and their situations ended tragically. However, these actions are deemed necessary to save their overall life; regardless, it becomes a matter of fact. In the same scenario but for unexpected events, a car crash, a shark attack, or war veterans, these situations aren’t a possibility until they are. We see these accidents happen every day, not just in situations that happen to the unlucky. In todays news, we see a potentially new war brewing between European countries that could involve the U.S. A war gives insights to tragedies as we have seen throughout the course of history. However, with research developing, science may have the opportunity to be more beneficial than ever before with these new experiments. Instead of worrying about how one can help after the tragedy occurred, there is the potential of knowing exactly how to help and being able to reach those efforts.
Science has attempted to catch up with these severe incidents for many years. We have seen the growth of mechanical parts, some with new state of the art technology, placed inside. Regardless of how fancy a biconical limb one can have, it isn't the same as the original. In recent studies, scientists have experimented with limb regeneration after amputation. As seen in the scientific article “A new device helps frogs regrow working legs after an amputation”, written by Carolyn Wilke, discusses the experiment done by Michael Levin, that tested these hypotheses. Levin’s team created an administering device that delivered a drug cocktail to aid in the regeneration process. The belief was that the frogs bodies already knew how to create legs, as they had done while an embryo. Therefore, Levins and his team took this DNA fact and supported it with their drug cocktail, which included a growth hormone, a nerve hormone, a nerve growth and promoter, and an anti inflammatory substance. This chemical combination proved successful as they saw complete regrows in their tested subjects compared to their controls.
Not only in science are we seeing regeneration of limbs, but we are also experimenting with injectable nanofiber-hydrogel composites to spinal cord injuries. As we see in Oudega’s experiment, this composite gel with interfacial bonding proved successful as it instructed mechanical strength and porosity. Oudega and his team developed positive evidence, “provided mechanical support to the contused spinal cord and promoted a shift towards a pro - regenerative macrophage population, angiogenesis, neurogenesis and axon presence” (Oudega 11). Ultimately, this experiment allowed spinal cord injuries to have the possibility of not being so negatively detrimental. This new science could allow victims to have hope that their injuries are no longer permeant to disability. Oudega and his team did not create a cure for spinal cord injuries, but developed science to further their boundaries with what is possible using what human bodies already contain. Meaning, the data found suggests “an active role in creating pro- regenerative environment through stimulation of macrophage polarization” (Oudega 11). This data indicates a positive direction toward regenerative science in spinal cord injuries.
So what does all of this mean? Well, for starters, it means science is in the right direction to potentially create medicine, if you will, to regenerate severely injured individuals; either in loss of limb or spinal cord injuries. Why does it matter? If it isn’t already obvious, there are activities happening in other countries, between other countries, that could reinstate war. What is happening in Ukraine involving Russia is only a matter of time before the U.S becomes an involved asset, if it already isn’t. From this, our troops must be prepared to do what they committed themselves to for their country. However, that doesn’t automatically entail severe physical injury, or now, it doesn’t have to be. With this science and the continuing of such experiments, this can be the beginning of aiding those who are in need of such. Even without the extreme of war, people are injured to this type of degree almost everyday; with these developments, it doesn't have to be so catastrophic. With this new science, we are creating hope.
Department of Veterans Affairs. (2021, May). May 2021 - Va.gov Home | veterans affairs. America's Wars. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf
Li, X., Zhang, C., Haggerty, A. E., Yan, J., Lan, M., Seu, M., Yang, M., Marlow, M. M., Maldonado-Lasunción, I., Cho, B., Zhou, Z., Chen, L., Martin, R., Nitobe, Y., Yamane, K., You, H., Reddy, S., Quan, D.-P., Oudega, M., & Mao, H.-Q. (2020). The effect of a nanofiber-hydrogel composite on Neural Tissue Repair and regeneration in the contused spinal cord. Biomaterials, 245, 119978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.119978
Murugan, N. J., Vigran, H. J., Miller, K. A., Golding, A., Pham, Q. L., Sperry, M. M., Rasmussen-Ivey, C., Kane, A. W., Kaplan, D. L., & Levin, M. (2022). Acute multidrug delivery via a wearable bioreactor facilitates long-term limb regeneration and functional recovery in adult xenopus laevis. Science Advances, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj2164
National Academy of Sciences. (2019, November 11). What are the biggest problems facing veterans returning home from conflict? The Science Behind It. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://thesciencebehindit.org/what-are-the-biggest-problems-facing-veterans-returning-home-from-conflict/
Sisk, R. (2019, March 25). Post-9/11 vets have far higher disability ratings than prior generations: Report. Military.com. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/03/25/post-9-11-vets-have-far-higher-disability-ratings-prior-generations-report.html#:~:text=%22In%20August%202018%2C%204.7%20million,or%20higher%2C%20the%20BLS%20said.
Wilke, C. (2022, January 28). A new device helps frogs regrow working legs after an amputation. Science News. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/frog-leg-regeneration-new-device-regrow-amputation
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