Regrowing Human Fingers
Posted on February 26, 2007
An Associated Press story discusses new treatments using a powdered pig extract that have allowed humans to regrow fingers or parts of a finger. In one case a man regrew a finger by using the powdered pig extract at the suggestion of his brother who was involved in the research.
The summer before Lee Spievack's accident, Dr. Alan Spievack had used it on a neighbor who'd cut his fingertip off on a tablesaw. The man's fingertip grew back over four to six weeks, Alan Spievack said.The powdered pig extract is made from pig bladders. There has been some success but it isn't ready for the public yet. But there is hope that someday we will have the technology so that humans can regrow lost fingers or limbs just like some lizards can regrow their tails.Lee Spievack took his brother's advice to forget about a skin graft and try the pig powder.
Soon a shipment of the stuff arrived and Lee Spievack started applying it every two days. Within four weeks his finger had regained its original length, he says, and in four months "it looked like my normal finger."
Spievack said it's a little hard, as if calloused, and there's a slight scar on the end. The nail continues to grow at twice the speed of his other nails.
"All my fingers in this cold weather have cracked except that one," he said.
All in all, he said, "I'm quite impressed."
