(STUDY FINDS) – Elephants could hold the key to curing cancer, new research reveals. Researchers from the University of Oxford say these giant mammals carry an army of tumor-fighting proteins that destroy mutated cells.
The discovery explains why Earth’s largest land animals are over five times less likely to develop the disease than humans. Harnessing the genes could lead to a “one-size-fits-all” therapy for one of the world’s deadliest diseases.
“This intricate and intriguing study demonstrates how much more there is to elephants than impressive size and how important it is that we not only conserve but also study these signature animals in minute detail. After all, their genetics and physiology are all driven by evolutionary history as well as today’s ecology, diet and behavior,” says study co-author Professor Fritz Vollrath in a university release.
