(File photo)

Chinese scientists have discovered a small molecule that can regenerate tissue, which in the future could make tissue regeneration much easier for many.

The research was led by professor Zhou Dawang and Deng Xianming of the School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, and professor Yun Caihong of Peking University.

The findings were published in the latest edition of Science Translational Medicine, on August 17.

Zhou said they have discovered a drug, XMU-MP-1, which can promote repair and regeneration in the liver, intestines and skin.

In the future, the pills may do away the need for organ transplant or complex biomaterial and cell therapies, he said.

Zhou and his colleagues specifically targeted a critical signaling molecule in the Hippo pathway, which controls organ size.

The XMU-MP-1 has proven to inhibit the activity of MST1/2, the central component of this pathway and promote cell growth in four different mouse models of acute and chronic injuries, including acetaminophen-induced injury, which is a common cause of liver failure worldwide.

Zhou said they have applied for a patent and are cooperating with pharmaceutical companies to produce the medicine.