A tube foot tissue one year after excision. (Credit: Sara Jobson).
A tube foot tissue several years after excision showing increasing wound closure and healing at the wound site over time. Shifting colors from red to lighter white and pink reflects pigmented cells forming and consolidating aggregates of healthy tissue and the progression of transparent connective tissue (Credit: Sara Jobson).
A recent study, featuring Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Senior Research Scientist Rachel Sipler and led by researchers at Memorial University of Newfoundland, documented the continued survival of amputated sea cucumber tissue for more than three years in natural seawater.
This is the first known report of severed tissue showing long-term survival and growth outside a highly controlled, sterile environment.
While it may sound like the plot of a science fiction movie, the discovery could offer important insights into regenerative biology and help inform future biomedical breakthroughs.
