blastema

Regenerating functional tissue across species, including salamanders and insects, relies on the ability to form a blastema, a clump of undifferentiated cells that can repair damage and grow into the missing appendage.

In both cases, populations of stem cells called neoblasts cluster to form a mass called a blastema at the wound site in the tissue fragment, which in turn can regenerate different organs and tissues14.

In the second, a mound of unspecialized cells called a blastema has formed atop the stump as a precursor to regrowth.

Most regeneration research focuses on the stub—or blastema—that forms over the wound of a severed limb.

Most regeneration research focuses on the stub — or blastema — that forms over the wound of a severed limb.