Jeremy Brockes is a biochemist best known for his work on limb regeneration in amphibians. Salamanders are able to successfully regrow body parts such as the tail, tissue from the eye and sections of the heart and are the only adult vertebrates with the ability to regrow full limbs. Jeremy studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon, primarily in limbs but also in lens regeneration.
He has made a number of significant discoveries concerning positional identity in limb regeneration. His work revealed the mechanisms underlying the nerve dependence of limb regeneration. Most recently, he has provided evidence that limb regeneration evolved in salamanders, rather than being a general ability that was lost in ourselves.
By understanding why regrowth occurs in salamanders but not in mammals, Jeremy’s research is paving the way for improved regeneration of human cells. In 1985, he received the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London, and in 2008 he was awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Subject groups
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Molecules of Life
Cell biology (incl molecular cell biology)
