Earthworms as Models for Regenerative Medicine

Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) possess a robust capacity to regenerate posterior body segments, restoring musculature, vasculature, nephridia, and the ventral nerve cord.  Although historically overshadowed by canonical regeneration models such as planarians, axolotls, and zebrafish, recent genomic and transcriptomic advances in Eisenia fetida and Eisenia andrei have revealed conserved developmental, immune, and neurotrophic pathways underlying annelid regeneration.  Here we synthesize current knowledge of earthworm regenerative biology, including blastema formation, progenitor activation, immuneBregeneration coupling, and patterned differentiation of new segments.  We compare earthworms with established models to highlight their unique advantagesCsegmental architecture, multi tissue regrowth, and innate immune integrationCand evaluate their translational relevance to wound healing, vascular repair, and neural regeneration.  Emerging omics resources and the development of genetic tools position earthworms as tractable, ethically accessible systems for advancing regenerative medicine.