Muscle regeneration under this technology is not as magical as salamanders, but it is also very surprising. The research results of the University of Pittsburgh mean that in this 10 year, thousands of soldiers who have suffered severe muscle loss in battle may overcome destructive injuries-they will suffer from chronic pain and disability for life, and there is no feasible treatment except amputation-and their physical function will be improved by at least 25%. For civilians, the research results are of inestimable significance. With the help of this technology, injuries and health problems that have to be amputated, such as car accidents, fires, cancer or diabetic peripheral vascular diseases, will no longer cause irreparable damage to patients.
The Institute of Regenerative Medicine of the Pentagon has implemented a series of advanced research projects, among which Badila and his colleagues from the Institute of Regenerative Medicine of the University of Pittsburgh are just one of the participants. The Institute of Regenerative Medicine of the Three Armies invested 250 million dollars in research, trying to make regenerative medicine mainstream. Senior military officials have accelerated the pace of clinical trials of "bone cement" replacing metal screws and metal plates, and at the same time accelerated the research on complex face and hand transplantation. At present, several such operations have been performed in the United States.
The prospect of tissue regeneration using the technology developed by Badila first made headlines in 2007, when he announced that he had successfully regenerated a few fingertips with a mixture based on pig bladder cells. Muscle tissue regeneration takes a similar approach. Surgeons first implant the so-called "extracellular matrix" into patients, which is a kind of "cell glue" figuratively, and its main component is growth factor protein from pig bladder. These protein trigger the patient's own stem cells to enter the designated area and start the process of tissue regeneration and repair-mature muscles usually can't do this. By combining the intensive rehabilitation program with the exercise of new muscles, the patient's body can not only restore the basic muscle tissue, but also restore the tendons and nerves that ensure the normal work of muscles.
"Patients need to actively cooperate with the treatment, and they need to do a lot of work," Badila said. Our treatment is not as simple as putting a mold on your leg and waiting. These soldiers have lost 60% and 70% of their muscles, and they are willing to do anything to lead a normal life again. "
Just four years after fingertip regeneration, Badila developed a technique to repair the tissue lost by patients. Now, his team is celebrating this milestone. The first clinical trial patient they recruited was a veteran who was injured by a temporary explosive device and lost most of the muscles in the front of his calf and tibia. At present, veterans have completed surgery and rehabilitation treatment for 6 months after operation. "He is recovering well," Badila said of the patient. With the help of the technology we developed, patients can function well without excision, far exceeding the situation after injury. "
In 2008, Corporal Isaiah hernandez of the United States Marine Corps became a real experimental mouse in Badila. Hernandez lost his right quadriceps. With the success of these two cases, the technology developed by Badila will undoubtedly change the face of this medical field. Hernandez said at the beginning of 20 1 1: "I am thin now and often do some exercise. I think it's great. " He hopes to be called up again and carry out combat missions.