MITO, IBARAKI PREF. – A researcher in Ibaraki Prefecture has been studying about a thousand newts every year in the hope of shedding light on the amphibian’s self-renewal capability, which he believes could lead to development of regenerative medicine for human beings.
Chikafumi Chiba, a 49-year-old associate professor at the University of Tsukuba, said he wants to understand what genes and proteins enable the newt to regenerate its tissue, including limbs and even the crystal lens of its eyes, and what restricts humans from developing such an ability.
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