I was inspired to start this post after listening to an episode of the Strength in Leos podcast featuring Dr. Matt Vickaryous in 2019. He spoke on some of the recent research he had performed using leopard geckos. In this explanation, he included a brief explanation of how these geckos can their tails as well as their skin with virtually no scarring. I had one of those moments where I realized this would be a concept that would interest me for years to come. I feel it will be a way in which I can apply my passion for herpetology into medicine. In September of 2021, I began looking at some of Dr. Vickaryous’ papers that he had published. At first, it was very hard to comprehend the papers, and I figured I couldn’t be alone. This blog post will be a simple summary of Dr. Vickaryous’ research in leopard gecko regeneration compared to human skin regeneration.
Start date (reading Vickaryous’ papers): September 14th, 2021