This article talks
about scientists that have fabricated muscles that have the ability to act and
regenerate like naturally forming muscles. It was formed by using both well-developed
muscle fibers and a pool of muscle stem cells. The stem cells were called
satellite cells and were used so when there was damage to the muscle, they were
there to heal the damaged area. These stem cells provided a “niche” where they
would stay until there was a body signal saying they were needed for regeneration
of the damaged muscle. The muscles were first tested outside a living animal to
see how they would react to both physical and chemical damages. After it was
seen that they are very similar to natural muscles they were implanted into a
mouse and the mouse was watched to see how the implanted muscle would react in
a living animal. Based off of this study the scientists are hoping to figure
out ways to engineer muscles to repair humans with muscle damages.
If this study results
turn out to have promising, then after more time and development maybe whole
working limbs can be formed for people born without limbs or people that have
lost theirs. If this can turn into forming whole limbs that could help people
that have only been able to turn to prosthetic limbs as an answer to their
missing limbs. This article talks about the prosthetic s of the future; maybe the next step will be new limbs.
