Scientists at the Koch Institute at MIT are trying to learn more about the role the immune system plays in the body's response to injury, when it's time to heal and regenerate tissue.
They are also investigating how engineered materials can be used to aid in wound healing, which may help prevent scarring and in repairing serious injuries. A synthetic material won't make an effective regenerative aid if the immune system recognizes it as foreign and reacts to it, so the scientists have to take that into consideration when designing the stuff.
Hear more from Kaitlyn Sadtler about her work in regeneration, and special stains she uses to analyze tissue in the lab of Daniel G. Anderson.