WASHINGTON, Dec 22, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The saw "Physician, heal thyself"
may yield to "Body, heal thyself" as U.S. army scientists study skin
regeneration and other self-healing technologies.
Regenerative science was one of several technologies showcased at the recent
26th Army Science Convention in Orlando, Fla. The 4-day gathering provides a
form to exchange ideas and highlight collaborative projects between Army
research labs, universities and business partners, CNN reported Monday.
The Army's regenerative medicine study combined properties from the intestinal
lining and the urinary bladder to create a regenerative substance called
Extracellular Matrix, a crystal substance that boosts the body's tendency to
repair itself, U.S. Army Biological Scientist Sgt. Gen Rossman told CNN. When
applied to a missing digit or limb, "the body thinks it's back in the womb,"
Rossman said.
Through both animal studies and human clinical trials, the institute is
developing therapies for soldiers injured by roadside bombs and other explosives
in Afghanistan and Iraq, CNN said.
"We are working on trying to regenerate limbs, to repair limbs and to keep them
from being amputated," said Col. Bob Vandre, project director for the Armed
Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
Armed Forces Institute scientists said they also developed a process to rebuild
missing or damaged bone.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International