Editing Salamander (section)

===Medical research===
Salamanders' [[limb regeneration]] has long been the focus of interest among scientists. The first extensive cell-level study was by Vincenzo Colucci in 1886.<ref name=Holland>{{citation |title=Vicenzo Colucci's 1886 memoir, Intorno alla rigenerazione degli arti e della coda nei tritoni, annotated and translated into English as: Concerning regeneration of the limbs and tail in salamanders | first=Nicholas | last=Holland | journal=The European Zoological Journal | volume=88 | year=2021| pages=837–890 | doi=10.1080/24750263.2021.1943549 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Researchers have been trying to find out the conditions required for the growth of new limbs and hope that such [[Regenerative medicine|regeneration]] could be replicated in humans using [[stem cell]]s. [[Axolotl]]s have been used in research and have been genetically engineered so that a [[fluorescent]] protein is present in cells in the leg, enabling the cell division process to be tracked under the microscope. It seems that after the loss of a limb, cells draw together to form a clump known as a [[blastema]]. This superficially appears undifferentiated, but cells that originated in the skin later develop into new skin, muscle cells into new muscle and cartilage cells into new cartilage. It is only the cells from just beneath the surface of the skin that are [[pluripotent]] and able to develop into any type of cell.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Salamander discovery could lead to human limb regeneration|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/regeneration/|last=Keim|first=Brandon |date=2009-07-01 |access-date=2010-05-07}}</ref> Researchers from the [[Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute]] have found that when [[macrophages]] were removed, salamanders lost their ability to regenerate and instead formed scar tissue. If the processes involved in forming new tissue can be reverse engineered into humans, it may be possible to heal injuries of the spinal cord or brain, repair damaged organs and reduce scarring and [[fibrosis]] after surgery.<ref name=ScienceDaily>{{cite web |title=Do salamanders' immune systems hold the key to regeneration? |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130520163727.htm |website=ScienceDaily |access-date=2013-05-21 |archive-date=2013-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206013619/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130520163727.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The spotted salamander (Amblystoma maculatum) lives in a symbiotic relationship with a green algae known as Oophila amblystomatis. The algal cells make their way into tissue cells throughout the embryo's body and appears to avoid rejection by activating genes which suppress the embryo's immune response. A mechanism that could be used in treatment for autoimmune diseases in humans.<ref>[https://newatlas.com/science/symbiotic-salamander-embryo-algae-drugs/ Symbiotic salamander/algae relationship may inspire new drugs]</ref>