This is how wounds heal

This is how wounds heal

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 03:20 AM IST
article-image

New York : A multi-disciplinary research team has discovered how cells know to rush to a wound and heal it – opening the door to new treatments for diabetes, heart disease and cancer, says IANS.

“In recent years, researchers have gained a better understanding of the molecular machinery of cell migration, but not what directs it to happen in the first place,” said lead researcher Kin Wong from the University of Arizona (UA). The answer, it turned out, involves delicate interactions between biomechanical stress, or force, which living cells exert on one another, and biochemical signalling.

The researchers discovered that when mechanical force disappears – for example at a wound site where cells have been destroyed, leaving empty, cell-free space – a protein molecule, known as DII4, coordinates nearby cells to migrate to a wound site and collectively cover it with new tissue.

This elaborate auto-regulatory system remains activated until new tissue has covered a wound. “The results significantly increase our understanding of how tissue regeneration is regulated and advance our ability to guide these processes,” Wong said.

The results represent a major advancement for regenerative medicine, in which biomedical engineers manipulate cells’ form and function to create new tissues, and even organs, to repair, restore or replace those damaged by injury or disease.

The same migration processes for wound healing and tissue development also apply to cancer spreading, the researchers noted. “Knowing the genetic makeup of leader cells and understanding their formation and behaviour gives us the ability to alter cell migration,” Wong added.

  The results represent a major advancement for regenerative medicine, in which biomedical engineers manipulate cells’ form and function to create new tissues, and even organs, to repair, restore or replace those damaged by injury or disease.

RECENT STORIES

Revolutionising Cancer Care: US & India Join Forces For Ground-breaking Collaboration

Revolutionising Cancer Care: US & India Join Forces For Ground-breaking Collaboration

Activists Write To PM Modi Over TB Drug Shortage Ahead Of World TB Day

Activists Write To PM Modi Over TB Drug Shortage Ahead Of World TB Day

Holi 2024: Say Bye-Bye To Skin Allergy With This Simple Home Remedy

Holi 2024: Say Bye-Bye To Skin Allergy With This Simple Home Remedy

Controversy Surrounds New Uniform Code For Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices

Controversy Surrounds New Uniform Code For Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices

Mumbai: Nepali Couple Turns To Wadia Hospital To Save Child's Arm From Amputation

Mumbai: Nepali Couple Turns To Wadia Hospital To Save Child's Arm From Amputation