Stetten Lecture Focuses on Regeneration

Dr. Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado

Within a span of 2 weeks, a small worm can accomplish a feat no human has ever achieved. The worm, known as a planarian, can regrow any severed body part—including its head. For the past 20 years, Dr. Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado has tried to figure out how this happens. In June, his team at Stowers Institute for Medical Research disclosed what they believe is the long-sought source of planarians’ remarkable regenerative abilities.

Sánchez Alvarado will explain the findings during this year’s DeWitt Stetten Jr. Lecture. His talk, titled “Understanding the Source of Regenerative Ability in Animals,” will occur on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. It is sponsored by NIGMS and is part of the NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series.

A videocast of the lecture (live or later) will be available at https://videocast.nih.gov. For reasonable accommodation during the lecture, contact Jacqueline Roberts at Jacqueline.Roberts@nih.gov or (301) 594-6747.