Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Weapon-X Mice

Posted by timothy on from the knock-out-mice dept.

Bob Vila's Hammer writes "New Scientist has this article about a new breed of mice created in a lab. They have the ability to heal wounds very effectively as they have been genetically engineered to produce large amounts of a protein called angiopoietin-related growth factor. This AGF was found to be in high concentrations at the site of wounds and is expecting further study to ascertain its full potential use in treatments for skin disorders and diseases in humans."

3 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. They're thick-skinned too... by jazir1979 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...so I'm sure they stand up well to derogatory comments about their little pink eyes.

    Or their swollen ears, noses and eyelids.

    --
    What's your GCNSEQNO?
  2. Re:Curious... by Bob+Vila's+Hammer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    :-) No. I do have allergies though, and an associated dermititis. More intense allergic reactions to food and other allergens cause rashy manifestations. It is very unpleasant.

    I'm hoping that this technology can be used somehow to shorten the length of this type of reaction, but I guess more research is needed - the article only mentions injuries.

    What I'm interested in is whether increased AGF healing still leaves scars. The article also didn't remark on that.

    --


    --"The perfect example of the man of action is the suicide." - William Carlos Williams
  3. Economic Benefits of Accelerated Healing by vudufixit · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've been thinking of bottlenecks in the national economy. One of them is injuries and healing. It occurred to me that if someone could translate a growth factor like this to human usage, and get people with injuries healed and back to work faster, it could save billions in health care costs and lost productivity.