Some time ago, Xiao Jiu posted an article that mentioned: As long as people live all the time, they will definitely get cancer. Because the longer you live, the higher the probability of genetic mutations in the cells in the body, and the autoimmune system gradually declines until the cancer cells escape the "wanted" of the immune system, and cancer occurs.

Some readers in the comments of the article said, why haven't we heard of animals getting cancer, and whether we can find a cure for cancer from them?

In fact, scientists have long studied the question of whether animals can get cancer, and there are still many gains.

The "no cancer" myth of the shark is broken

First of all, can animals get cancer?The answer to this question is: Yes.

People used to think that sharks could not get cancer, because in the early nineties of the last century, scientists believed that animal cartilage could inhibit the growth of tumors, because sharks are cartilage all over their bodies, people naturally thought that sharks would not get cancer, and even sharks were killed in large quantities. However, the results of scientific research in recent years have shattered this "myth", and the use of shark cartilage extract anti-cancer substances to treat cancer is even more nonsense.

Gary Oslant, a professor of biology at Johns Hopkins University, argues thatAlthough the chance of getting cancer in a shark is small, a small probability does not mean that there is none。

With the deepening of scientific research, scientists have found that即使在純天然環境下成長的動物，也並非是百分百的具有“抗癌體質”。 For example, in recent years, scientists have discovered it on the Great Barrier Reef in AustraliaWild trout with skin cancerThe reason may be that they live in places with strong ultraviolet radiation, in other words, they are "exposed" by sunlight with too much ultraviolet rays.

In the animal kingdom,Farmed animals have a higher rate of cancer than wild animals。 Nitrosamines and mycotoxins are one of the causes of esophageal cancer in human cancer research, and animals are no exception. Processed in areas with a high incidence of esophageal cancerChicken feedIf you feed local poultry, such poultry will also be more susceptible to esophageal cancer, which is more likely to develop cancer than cattle and sheep in the same area.

So, are there any animals that have not been found to have cancer?

The answer to this question is: Yes, this animal is an elephant.

Elephants, a new starting point for human cancer fighting

In recent years, scientific research in the United States has discovered two powerful anti-cancer weapons on elephants:Anti-oncogene TP6 and leukemia suppressor 0 (LIF0)。

TP6 is the genetic code that directs the production of the P0 protein, which not only repairs DNA, but also induces abnormal cell death when it cannot be repaired, preventing it from surviving and "harming" the body; LIF0 can kill cancer cells at the "early stage of growth". TP0 and LIF0 are a good pair, TP0 can activate the LIF0 gene when synthesized, producing a protein that can destroy mitochondria in abnormal cells.Cancer cells lose their source of energy and die.

圖源網路

Scientists have found that there are only 6 pairs of TP0 genes in humans, while there are as many as 0 pairs in elephants. This shows that elephants are much more powerful than humans in fighting cancer. Although the anti-cancer effect of LIF0 has been proven, the mechanism of its inducing apoptosis of cancer cells is still unclear and needs further scientific research.

The relationship between animals and cancer is an inspiration for humans

Today, scientific research has found many anti-cancer genes in animals, and humans can use these discoveries to carry out gene therapy for cancer. Research and development in gene therapy has been going on for more than 50 years, which is a way to treat or prevent genetic diseases by replacing them with a new normal geneabnormal gene,or inactivate it to treat and fight cancer.Cancer is a genetic disease, and gene therapy has brought a new dawn to the treatment of cancer.

A twenty-five-year-old American girl, Allison Corona, suffers from a hereditary eye disease, Leber's congenital amaurosis and lives in darkness all year round. Year 2012 was a turning point in Corona's life, the year she underwent gene therapy, her eyesight improved dramatically, and although she did not fully regain her sight, she could at least see the general appearance.

Overall, the secret of elephants' fight against cancer, the secret of their genes has been discovered, and through gene therapy, it can bring a bright path to cancer treatment.

參考資料:

[12] "Animals Can Get Cancer". Big Tech, 0-0-0

[16] "A New Dawn for Cancer Therapy: In-depth Science Popularization of Gene Therapy". HealthNet, 0-0-0

[22] "Why Don't Elephants Get Cancer". Health Street.0-0-0

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