Why do some animals, like sharks and crocodiles, have such powerful immune systems that they rarely get sick or develop cancer, and could we learn from them to improve human health?
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> Why do some animals, like sharks and crocodiles, have such powerful immune systems that they rarely get sick or develop cancer
Because the environments they live in are very, very nasty. Crocodiles live in gnarly and rotten swamp waters that teem with bacteria and fungi, so it makes sense that over millions of years they’ve evolved to be able to combat them and survive. Compared to us, their immune systems seem especially robust, but relative to their environment their immune systems are no more capable than ours are; evolution dictates proportionality of traits.
As for your second question, [we do study them](https://www.wired.com/2005/08/antibiotics-from-crocodile-blood/) and have been doing so for decades. We also study [axolotls](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7214127/#:~:text=The%20axolotl%20has%20the%20ability,a%20limb%20regenerate%20%5B12%5D.), primates, mice, and jellyfish because they all show promise for human clinical applications. It’s not straightforward though, it takes a lot of time and money and it’s difficult to replicate the mechanisms they use in a safe and effective way for humans.
i work in a building with shark immunology research ongoing and heard a couple of talks from the lady who does the actual shark research.
Short answer is we don’t yet know why they’re resistant to cancer. Or at least the lady who works in my building doesn’t, but the aim of her research is to find it out.
A few things we know:
chemistry works slower when you’re cold, And sharks are adapted to living in cold waters. Therefore their immune systems have different loads and requirements. For example, I remember her saying that peak immune response after introducing a foreign chemical (antigen) was 2 months. For reference the Covid vaccine in humans has a response in the order of days.
They also have a slightly different immune system, with different antibody types. This was one of the reasons earlier scientists thought that shark immune systems were “undeveloped”, since they weren’t similar to the human immune system. What that means in term of the efficacy, is to my understanding still under research, but the antibodies might be easier to tune.
Once again, not a shark researcher, but work in the same facility as one
i work in a building with shark immunology research ongoing and heard a couple of talks from the lady who does the actual shark research.
Short answer is we don’t yet know why they’re resistant to cancer. Or at least the lady who works in my building doesn’t, but the aim of her research is to find it out.
A few things we know:
chemistry works slower when you’re cold, And sharks are adapted to living in cold waters. Therefore their immune systems have different loads and requirements. For example, I remember her saying that peak immune response after introducing a foreign chemical (antigen) was 2 months. For reference the Covid vaccine in humans has a response in the order of days.
They also have a slightly different immune system, with different antibody types. This was one of the reasons earlier scientists thought that shark immune systems were “undeveloped”, since they weren’t similar to the human immune system. What that means in term of the efficacy, is to my understanding still under research, but the antibodies might be easier to tune.
Once again, not a shark researcher, but work in the same facility as one
Where is Spider-Man telling that crocodile to cure cancer?
Where is Spider-Man telling that crocodile to cure cancer?
> Why do some animals, like sharks and crocodiles, have such powerful immune systems that they rarely get sick or develop cancer
Because the environments they live in are very, very nasty. Crocodiles live in gnarly and rotten swamp waters that teem with bacteria and fungi, so it makes sense that over millions of years they’ve evolved to be able to combat them and survive. Compared to us, their immune systems seem especially robust, but relative to their environment their immune systems are no more capable than ours are; evolution dictates proportionality of traits.
As for your second question, [we do study them](https://www.wired.com/2005/08/antibiotics-from-crocodile-blood/) and have been doing so for decades. We also study [axolotls](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7214127/#:~:text=The%20axolotl%20has%20the%20ability,a%20limb%20regenerate%20%5B12%5D.), primates, mice, and jellyfish because they all show promise for human clinical applications. It’s not straightforward though, it takes a lot of time and money and it’s difficult to replicate the mechanisms they use in a safe and effective way for humans.
Where is Spider-Man telling that crocodile to cure cancer?
> Why do some animals, like sharks and crocodiles, have such powerful immune systems that they rarely get sick or develop cancer
Because the environments they live in are very, very nasty. Crocodiles live in gnarly and rotten swamp waters that teem with bacteria and fungi, so it makes sense that over millions of years they’ve evolved to be able to combat them and survive. Compared to us, their immune systems seem especially robust, but relative to their environment their immune systems are no more capable than ours are; evolution dictates proportionality of traits.
As for your second question, [we do study them](https://www.wired.com/2005/08/antibiotics-from-crocodile-blood/) and have been doing so for decades. We also study [axolotls](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7214127/#:~:text=The%20axolotl%20has%20the%20ability,a%20limb%20regenerate%20%5B12%5D.), primates, mice, and jellyfish because they all show promise for human clinical applications. It’s not straightforward though, it takes a lot of time and money and it’s difficult to replicate the mechanisms they use in a safe and effective way for humans.
people are reluctant to genetically modify humans, but once we do, it’s gonna be pretty wild
people are reluctant to genetically modify humans, but once we do, it’s gonna be pretty wild
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