Nail-generating tissue also regrows fingertips

Stem cells spur return of amputated digits in mice

Takeo et al/Nature 2013

Clumsy manicurists can thank a set of stem cells under the base of the fingernail for erasing their mistakes. Those cells allow not only trimmed fingernails but amputated fingertips to regrow. Doctors could one day use nail stem cells to treat malformed nails or even amputated limbs, Mayumi Ito of New York University Langone Medical Center suggests.