Induced Regeneration of Skin and Peripheral Nerves

Acute or chronic injury to an organ is followed by a spontaneous healing process. Injury to the mammalian fetus is reversible during early stages of gestation; the spontaneous wound response is capable of restoring the structure and function of the original organ (regeneration). In contrast, the unimpaired response of adults to severe injury is an irreversible process leading to closure of the injured site by contraction and formation of scar, a nonphysiological tissue (repair). The consequences of irreversible healing at the organ scale are far reaching: they often result in an essentially nonfunctional organ.