Figure 1: Conceptual close-up of the observed microorganism (*Image is for illustrative purposes only).
[!NOTE] *All microorganism images used in this article are 3D CG conceptual images.
Planarians are extraordinary model organisms for regenerative medicine; no matter which part of their body is cut, pluripotent stem cells work to regenerate a completely new head or tail.
Safe Cutting & Regeneration Experiment for Planarians
- Cool the bottom of a Petri dish with ice water (Planarians will undergo autolysis if their body temperature rises).
- Place the Planarian on the cooled stage and cut it cleanly with a razor blade the moment its body stretches out.
- Transfer the cut pieces into separate Petri dishes containing extremely cold, clean water, and place them in a dark area out of direct sunlight.
- If you observe them daily, you will see a transparent “blastema” extending from the cut surface, new eyes forming in just one week, and a perfect Planarian regenerated within two weeks.