We can regenerate! Researchers reveal our RIBS regrow if damaged

While we may not quite have the regenerative powers of a superhero, humans are surprisingly adept at regrowing ribs, researchers have found.

Researchers have analysed the capabilities in mice after spotting a human subject who was able to regrow part of a rib.

The team found that mice and humans were able to regrow removed ribs within months.  

In a new study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, a team directed by USC Stem Cell researcher Francesca Mariani studied the phenomenon.  

Using CT imaging, the team monitored the healing of a human rib that had been partially removed by a surgeon.

The eight centimeters of missing bone and one centimeter of missing cartilage did partially repair after six months.

To better understand this repair process, they removed sections of rib cartilage — ranging from three to five millimeters — from a related mammal, mice. 

They also found that a perichondrium retains the ability to produce cartilage even when disconnected from the rib and displaced into nearby muscle tissue — further suggesting that the perichondrium contains progenitor or stem cells.

'We believe that the development of this model in the mouse is important for making progress in the field of skeletal repair, where an acute clinical need is present for ameliorating skeletal injury, chronic osteoarthritis and the severe problems associated with reconstructive surgery,' said Mariani, assistant professor of Cell and Neurobiology and principal investigator in the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. 

'At the early stages in our understanding, the mouse provides us with an exceptional ability to make progress, and we are excited about the potential for using cells derived from the rib perichondrium or using rib perichondrium-like cells for regenerative therapy.'