DoD establishes institute tasked with regrowing body parts
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 22nd 2008 4:04PM
posted April 22nd 2008 4:04PM
Apparently not satisfied with simply building robotic body parts, the Department of Defense has now announced a brand new effort that it hopes will one day allow it to regrow actual body parts. Dubbed the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (or AFIRM), the new group will explore the use of stem cell research, among other things, to "reconstruct new skin, muscles and tendons, and even ears, noses and fingers." Or, as the Army surgeon general that'll be overseeing the program puts it: if an animal like a salamander can regrow a lost tail or limb, "Why can't a mammal do the same thing?" Not surprisingly, the institute apparently also won't be hard up for resources, with it boasting a budget of about $250 million for its first five-year period, and it enlisting the help of three universities, including Rutgers, Wake Forest, and the University of Pittsburgh.
[Via Slashdot]
[Via Slashdot]
Yeah, tell that to diabetics, industrial accidentees and those born with birth defects.
"If you see my penis run by here, try to catch it with some cheese!"
IF this comes to light, anyone else see this as a reality:
"Truth or Dare"
"Dare"
"I dare you to cut off your left arm"
I wonder how much John Bobbit wished this was true
Mammals can already do this. For example fetuses can regenerate.
Regeneration is not that far fetched but I reckon needs about $20 billion in focussed basic research funding. And then another $20 billion to get it from the lab to us.
Here's an idea, how about we not get these kids body parts shot off in the first place? Did y'a think of that?
Yes, I know this can help people with accidents, deformities and people already harmed by war. I just get pissed off at the idea that the DoD is going to use this to redeploy the kids after they get them patched up.
Anybody who's played ResEvil4 on Pro Mode will instinctively cringe at the mention of regenerate/regrow LOL
weapon X is coming
hey! maybe I'll get my foreskin back after all!!
I'm just sorta semi-creeped out by the photo in the lower right hand corner of that guy's presentation. What the hell is that? Looks like a dead guy all bloated out and pulled from the river. Jeeeezus. Is that a bullet hole in his neck? That's some full-on Morrrre Braaaiinns action there... Some underwater Uncle Fester.
That's how half the people in the hospital fresh from iraq look.
As long as they can re-grow my hands when I get arthritis and, should I ever need it, my penis, I'll be happy.
Should I ever need my penis replacing* Not "Should I ever need my penis"... D:
great so at last we can eat meat without killing animals, and also lower the CO2 emissions required to build the product.
I don't see a singe problem with this. Nothing but good can come of this...I don't see how people can think otherwise unless your a f*cking idiot!
Imagine how much funding would be poured into this if scientists announced they will start research with penis enlargements.
I read somewhere, and watched a video on CBS News about the same idea... and it already works!! Why they want the 250 millions when a man already knows how to regenrate bodies??
Something smells bad....
Or, i didn't get the video well... i'm from Southamerica... and sorry if something isn't writted ok.
Is anyone else thinking of casshern?
That's right--throw soldiers onto the battlefield where they get ground up (especially when you're dealing with an army or an administration too cheap or uncaring to spring for adequate armor), patch them up, then throw them right back onto the battlefield with their new parts installed. Like you'd do with a robot. I wonder if the DoD will require soldiers to go for another tour of duty if they want to have their broken parts replaced by DoD doctors?
No harm in dreaming about the future. We would be happier if pentagon would care more about the large number of vet suicides. By pentagons own numbers suicide deaths are greater than deaths by hostile fire http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/22/MNQK109AA7.DTL.
Pentagon is glad with a reduction of people that might be critical of wars obviously, it's the maimed idiots that lament that they so much want to go back that they want to regrow.
At last. In future wars soldiers won't even worry when they get their leg blasted off. They'll just splatter on some GrowGel RG410-A2 grade three limb gel on their bloody stump and *poit* - a brand new leg!
Robert Becker, spent time as Vets. Admin. researcher funded to figure out how to regrow arms and legs on veterans. Later wrote 2 books on the effects of EMFs on biological organisms. Critters who can regenerate have more nerve system distributed throughout body. As nerve system get concentrated in spine and head, critters lose ability to regenerate so readily. Removing sciatic nerve with myelin sheath from one leg, put in other leg, heal, cut off leg, pretty good regrowth in critter that does not naturally regenerate. Without myelin sheath the regeneration unsuccessful. Myelin sheaths alternate layers of lipid and protein with the long chain protein as a very sophisticated super-conductor... as i recall, transferring info related to growth and healing much faster than nerves. Became lawyer. Names those responsible for funding cuts.