Scientists at Tufts University have found a way to cause tadpoles to grow eyes outside of the head area, suggesting organs can be made to grow by changing impulses in bioelectric current in cells.
The research is in the field of biomedicine breaks new ground because it identifies a control mechanism that can be used to trigger the formation of complex organs for transplantation or regenerative medicine applications.
The researchers manipulated membrane voltage of cells in the tadpole’s back and tail causing eyes to grow from cells in regions that were never thought to be able to form eyes. This suggests that cells from anywhere in the body can be triggered to form an eye or possibly another complete organ.