The axolotl, a salamander that can regrow limbs, spinal cord, and heart tissue, is about to get its first dedicated research colony in the UK. Despite decades of fascination, scientists do not understand how axolotls regenerate body parts, age slowly, and rarely develop cancer. The UK currently has no axolotl research facility, and new post-Brexit import rules, combined with the species’ endangered status, have made it nearly impossible for British researchers to obtain axolotls or their tissue from abroad. This project builds a breeding and experimental pipeline at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Regeneration and Repair. The facility will allow researchers to use modern tools—single-cell genomics and CRISPR gene editing—to compare axolotl biology with that of poorly regenerative mammals, including humans. This is fundamental science. There is no immediate clinical application. But understanding how an animal prevents scarring, suppresses tumours, and maintains tissue function into old age could eventually inform new strategies for regenerative medicine, wound healing, and cancer prevention. The colony will also support visiting scientists and train technicians in axolotl welfare, creating a national resource for a field that has been stalled by lack of access.
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Context and research the equipment will enable The axolotl is a unique vertebrate model for biomedical research. Axolotls are best known for their ability to regenerate virtually any body part and organ, including limbs, tail, lung, heart, thymus, kidney, large parts of the brain and spinal cord. Less well known is that some early developmental processes such as germ cell specification are conserved between axolotl and mammals. Additionally, axolotls age relatively slowly and rarely develop cancer. These features highlight the potential of the axolotl to provide information relevant to human health, in addition to their obvious relevance to developmental, evolutionary and regenerative biology. The mechanisms that underlie the axolotl’s astonishing regenerative capacity and intriguing biology remain poorly understood. Axolotls are an excellent model for developmental biology, as their eggs are large and embryos develop externally. The recent sequencing of the axolotl genome and the emergence of new technologies such as single-cell multi-omics and CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing, already successfully employed in axolotl, now make it possible to gain deep mechanistic understanding of axolotl development, regeneration, slow ageing and cancer resistance. We envision that this fundamental understanding, and the resulting comprehensive comparative analyses between regenerative and non-regenerative species, will inform new strategies to improve human health. Axolotls are clearly poised for discovery. However, we lack axolotl research capability in the UK. Aims and objectives We aim to build an axolotl research pipeline in the Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR), at The University of Edinburgh (UoE). This will include axolotl breeding and experimental rooms to become the only axolotl research colony in the UK. The axolotl facility will enable a wide range of new research avenues, from regeneration, development, and stem cell research, to ageing, cancer and evolutionary biology; and spark new collaborations locally, nationally, and internationally. Potential applications and benefits The facility will be integrated within IRR, a joint venture between the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) and the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (CMVM) to form the largest grouping of scientists and clinician scientists investigating tissue repair and regeneration worldwide. The critical mass of researchers at IRR and the wider UoE means we are uniquely positioned to reveal fundamental differences between highly regenerative axolotls and poorly regenerative mammals, including humans. This will allow us to leverage key advances in regenerative biology relevant to regenerative medicine. There is widespread enthusiasm for axolotl research among developmental and regenerative biology communities across the UK. However, new UK import regulations (following Brexit) and the fact that axolotls are critically endangered in the wild and listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), make it extremely difficult for UK researchers to access axolotls or axolotl tissue from abroad. Building an axolotl research pipeline in the UK is therefore essential to boost biomedical research and attract world-class scientists. Additionally, new collaborations will be fostered by allocation of flexible space for visiting researchers within the facility and through annual open workshops. The axolotl facility will be managed by Bioresearch and Veterinary Services, which oversees UoE's animals facilities. This will offer unique career development and research opportunities on axolotl welfare to this team of research technicians and technology and skills specialists (RTPs). Our proposed axolotl research pipeline will deliver new fundamental knowledge with transformative potential for regenerative medicine and human health.
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