http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152812.htm
It seems as though researchers have fund a prevention for cancer in naked mole rats. In their cells they carry a gene called p16 that makes cells "claustrophobic" which prevents the cells from multiplying. They tested it on the naked mole rats and found an amazing result. They gave their cells a tumor and they barely even changed. Other rodents such as rats' cells but become fully cancer infected. The researchers found out that no naked mole rat in the world has ever had cancer before. These results led Vera Gorbunova to ask about cancer in other long living rodents like the grey squirrel. She has recently found answers to her questions. "An overcrowding warning gene that the naked mole rat expresses its cells' is what she found. When they tested the mole rats cells they found that it refused to grow and that the p16 made it so that it couldn't reproduce as fast. They also found that p27, another gene, prevents cellular overcrowding. Now they just have to find out if these genes can be used in humans.
I was really happy after I finished reading about this. With naked mole rats and their p16 genes they will save us all. It seems as if rodents are the key to Now humankind had a way to prevent cancer from taking its death-toll. Many people die with cancer and now all those people cab stay alive and enjoy the rest of their lives! The only problem is that it may not work on humans. If that happens we might have to go back to doing hard work to figure out another cure for cancer. The death toll will increase again making its mark on humankind. We will just have to wait and see if our researchers can utilize the facts they found to impact us greatly by finally finding a cure for cancer!
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2 comments:
Not so fast! Not to contradict you or anything, but just because they found how to do something in a naked mole rat doesn't mean that we will suddenly get rid of cancer. For instance, they found how to give "false" memories to a fly, but that doesn't mean that they can give false memories to people too! However, it's a big step and really neat.
I forgot to put in my opinion that it might not work. But i went back and changed it. If it does work then humankind has just taken one big step in fighting cancer.
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