Hansen’s Disease, also known as Leprosy, is one of the oldest infectious diseases in the world.

It is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, and those who contract the disease may experience skin, nerve, and mucous membrane impacts– including but not limited to discolored skin, skin growths, muscle weakness or paralysis, enlarged nerves, and nosebleeds.

This age-old disease has been a problem for centuries, even being described within the literature of ancient civilizations’ past.

Ever since the 1940s, though, many medical breakthroughs have emerged to combat and manage Leprosy.

Interestingly, though, the chronic disease that many have fought to ward off is now being turned to as a possible avenue for organ regeneration.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland recently discovered that parasites linked with Leprosy have the ability to reprogram cells– ultimately increasing the size of adult animal Livers without causing scarring, damage, or tumors.

This finding is groundbreaking since it suggests that a natural process could increase lifespan by renewing aging livers.

Livers are also one of the most sought-after organs for transplants– with over seventeen thousand patients in the U.S. currently on the liver waiting list.

Previous research has shown other ways to regrow livers– particularly in mice– using generated stem cells and progenitor cells. However, these strategies were invasive and often resulted in tumor growth and scarring.

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So, the research team in Edinburgh decided to build on these past studies but with a new tool– Mycobacterium leprae or leprosy-causing bacteria.

They worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to infect fifty-seven armadillos– animals that naturally host leprosy bacteria– with the parasite. Then, the scientists compared these study participants with armadillos that were uninfected, as well as those that were infection resistant.

They found that the infected armadillos actually developed enlarged, healthy, and unharmed livers. The livers also had the same key components– such as bile ducts, blood vessels, and lobules– as the resistant and uninfected armadillos.

And in analyzing these results, the team concluded that the leprosy-causing bacteria essentially “hijacked” the liver’s inherent ability to regenerate. In doing so, the organ’s size was increased.

Additionally, infected armadillos had livers that contained gene expression patterns close to those observed in younger animals and even fetal human livers. More specifically, genes that were related to growth, metabolism, and cell proliferation were activated; at the same time, genes associated with aging were suppressed.

So now, the researchers are optimistic that these remarkable results could be applied to humans– helping develop and provide interventions for damaged and aging organs.

To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Cell Reports Medicine, visit the link here.

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