They have a fearsome reputation, but could sharks soon help save more lives than the 10 they lose each year?
Over 400 million years of evolution, the shark’s immune system has evolved into a fine-tuned defense system, much more precise than that of humans, and capable of eliminating almost any dangerous virus or tumor. life threatening.
That is thought to be one of the main reasons why some species, such as the great white, can live up to 70 years. Sharks also have exceptional wound healing abilities, which means injuries rarely lead to death.
Now, researchers have solved the question of why sharks’ immune systems are so effective at preventing disease. And the findings could lead to new drugs to fight diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
They have a fearsome reputation, but could sharks soon help save more lives than the 10 they lose each year?
In humans, when the immune system senses the presence of foreign cells (such as viruses or bacteria), it releases a protein called an antibody. This attaches to a specific molecule on the surface of a virus or bacteria and calls for help from stronger immune system cells, called T cells, to destroy the invader.
Separately, scientists have developed artificial antibodies, ‘monoclonal’ antibodies, which are injected into the body door-to-door on certain rogue cells, such as cancer cells.
Once they reach their destination, these synthetic antibodies move on to the immune system to attack tumor cells (Herceptin, a drug used to treat some forms of breast and stomach cancer, is one monoclonal antibodies).
But human and artificial antibodies tend to be bulky, Y-shaped molecules that, because of their size, can often only bind to a handful of targets on invading cells. This helps explain why the human immune system and antibody-based drugs are not always 100% effective at repelling predators.
In sharks, antibodies are one-tenth the size of human antibodies, allowing them to penetrate deeper into the tiny cracks found on the surface of bacteria or cancer cells – improving their ability to their ability to ‘stick’ and the immune system to destroy the invader.
That is thought to be one of the main reasons why some species, such as the great white, can live up to 70 years. Sharks also have exceptional wound healing abilities, which means injuries rarely lead to death
What’s more, tests show that shark antibodies are hard to come by. Scientists claim to have boiled them and dipped them in corrosive acid but they survived.
The synthetic version of the shark antibody is used as medicine for humans, said Dr Caroline Barelle, chief executive officer of Elasmogen Ltd, a manufacturing company from the University of Aberdeen developing.
They soon discovered that sharks had small, simple antibodies, with potentially huge benefits over large human antibodies, which are complex and can only bind to one target. ‘
Elasmogen is testing synthetic shark antibodies against triple-negative breast cancer, a dangerous form of the disease. The idea is that man-made versions of tiny shark antibodies, injected into the bloodstream, would have a better chance of binding to breast cancer cells by pressing into tiny gaps in the surface and alerting the system. immune system.
Another option is to load shark molecules with chemotherapy drugs, which can be smuggled inside cancer cells.
Trials using shark antibodies to treat cancer could take place within the next five to 10 years.
Another target is rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that can cause crippling pain. Lab tests show that the man-made shark antibody can carry the drug and then target a receptor on the surface of cells in inflamed joints.
Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk
