An article from headway looks at some of the work presently taking place in the field of regenerative medicine: "Understanding the regeneration of damaged nerves - and eventually controlling where and when it occurs - could have a large impact on the kind of recovery trauma patients achieve. Walking may be the ultimate goal, but for many patients, regaining bladder function or abolishing neuropathic pain is an immediate priority. To this end, [a team] is identifying the genes responsible for regenerating the nerve's long, branch-like body. Their work begins in organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster - tiny worms and fruit flies that are hugely valuable to genetics research. Once a gene has been identified in a fruit fly or worm, scientists can search a database to find its vertebrate homologue, and then test it and manipulate it in a mouse or other animal. ... Once we have used genetics to identify genes that control nerve regeneration, we can develop animal models to find drugs that will mimic the genes in the pathway, or up-regulate their expression."

Link: http://www.mcgill.ca/headway/winter2008-09/indepth1/