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Chinese scientists find clue to bone regrowth in deer antler study

  • Researchers say they have identified a crucial difference in limb regeneration cells between mammals and lower-order vertebrates
  • The findings overturn scientific assumptions that the regenerative mechanism would be the same

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Researchers in China say they are a step closer to understanding how deer regenerate their antlers. Photo: Shutterstock
Echo Xie
Chinese scientists have uncovered the mystery of how deer regenerate their antlers every year and believe it could one day hold the key to human bone repair.

Deer are the only mammals capable of fully regenerating a complete organ – the antler – which can regrow at a phenomenal rate of 2.75cm (roughly 1 inch) per day.

Many lower-order vertebrates have retained the ability – axolotl regenerate complex limbs such as legs many times over their lives – but mammals have largely lost the capacity, according to Li Chunyi, co-author of a new study.
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Li, a professor at Changchun Sci-Tech University, said regeneration took time, making it a disadvantage for both predators and herbivores, and had gradually disappeared through evolution.

Scientists have carried out numerous studies on deer antlers, hoping to uncover the mechanism behind the regrowth and apply the results in regenerative medicine. For a long time, they believed the process would be the same as in lower vertebrates.

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But after 40 years of research, Li is now confident that the mechanism for organ regeneration in mammals is different, thanks to the study published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Science.

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