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Tadpole eye transplant shows new way to grow nerves

Lowering cells’ electrical charges could help replacement organs wire properly

nerve cells from an eye

POWER PLAY  Nerve cells (red) from an eye transplanted to a tadpole’s side reach out into the surrounding tissue, but they won’t stray beyond an electric fence of highly charged cells (green).

Douglas J. Blackiston

By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

Wiring replacement organs into the body may be as easy as discharging a biological battery, new experiments with tadpoles suggest.