VEDERE LA SCIENZA 2002

Milano   9/4/2002 - 14/4/2002

Spazio Oberdan - viale Vittorio Veneto, 2

Superhuman: self repair



  1. Original Title: Superhuman: self repair
  2. Director: Judith Bunting
  3. Photography: John Howarth, Peter Nelson, Mike Coles, Dion Casey, Robert Chappell
  4. Music: Chris Whitten
  5. Sound: Keith Rodgerson, George Hitchins, George Shafnacker, David Brabants, Mike Reilly
  6. Prix Santé al XVIII festival "Image et Science", Paris, 2001
  7. Producer: Judith Bunting
  8. Production: BBC Science Unit/TLC
  9. Executive Producer: Michael Mosley
  10. United Kingdom
  11. 49 min.
  12. 2000

The salamander may grow new feet. The newt, which we know a little better, is able to grow its tail again. And the human body? How can it regenerate itself when it is attacked by disease and loses the functions of an organ?
The human body continuallyregenerates itself in continuation but as it grows older the capacity for self-repair decreases. The cells are continuously renewed but this is not sufficient to replace entire organs that lose functionality. The human foetus, however, has enormous regenerative power.
This documentary, part of the series Superhuman, shows us the steps that modern medicine is taking as far as this field is concerned. The mechanisms of regeneration in an embryo appear fantastic. Biomedical research is seeking to intercept these mechanisms in order to discover which gene promotes this process. Once this has been discovered, we will be able to reactivate it and create, on command, new cells and new organs. Even delicate tissue like spinal marrow and the brain could be regenerated using nervous staminal cells.
Our guide in this journey to discover the into the human body’s self-regeneration mechanisms is Professor Robert Winston.

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