A new study by the Marine Biological Laboratory Whitman Center Scientist from the University of Cambridge found that cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays and skates may unlock the secret to reversing damage in human joint cartilage caused by aging.
Unlike humans and other mammals, the skeletons of sharks, skates, and rays are made entirely of cartilage and they continue to grow that cartilage throughout adulthood.
They found that adult skates (Leucoraja erinacea) have a specialized type of progenitor cell to create new cartilage. The researchers were able to label these cells, trace their descendants, and show that they give rise to new cartilage in an adult skeleton.
“Skates and humans use a lot of the same genes to make cartilage. Conceivably, if skates are able to make cartilage as adults, we should be able to also,” says Andrew Gillis, senior author on the study.
The results were published in the latest edition of the biological science journal, eLife.
