We may have found a new ally in the fight against cancer – elephants.
The animals are better at warding off cancer than humans, scientists say.
And that is despite their huge size – they have 100 times the number of cells we do, which should give 100 times as many opportunities for cancer to develop.
Learning about what has made them almost cancer-proof could lead to new ways of preventing the disease in humans.
Elephant populations, many of which are at risk from poachers, could also benefit from research. The scientists said: ‘If elephants hold the key to unlocking some of the mysteries of cancer, then we will see an increased awareness of the plight of elephants worldwide.
‘What a fantastic benefit: elephants and humans living longer, healthier lives.’
The university and zoo researchers found that cancer was behind just 4.8 per cent of captive elephants’ deaths, much lower than humans’ 11 to 25 per cent. Cancer kills more than 8million people a year.
The researchers uncovered one of the elephant’s secrets – it has almost 20 times as many copies of a cancer-protective gene – called p53 – as people.
And in tests elephant cells damaged by radiation were twice as likely to self-destruct as humans ones, which prefer to try to mend themselves. This could be key as a botched repair can trigger cancer.
Joshua Schiffman, of the University of Utah, said: ‘It’s as if the elephants said, “It’s so important that we don’t get cancer, we’re going to kill this cell and start over fresh”. If you kill the damaged cell, it’s gone and can’t turn into cancer.
‘By all logical reasoning, elephants should be developing a tremendous amount of cancer, and in fact, should be extinct now. We think that making more of p53 is nature’s way of making this species alive.’
The research, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, could lead to drug that prevents cancer in people.
But British-based cancer experts said the solution is much more simple.
But Professor Mel Greaves, of the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: ‘A drug is a long shot and a more practical thing would be to modify behaviour.
‘Have you ever seen an elephant smoke? Or sunbathe like we do? Or have a ridiculous diet? If an elephant smoked 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years, I bet it would get cancer.’
‘I’d like to introduce you to one of our consultants’
© Daily Mail