14 DAY TRIAL // A team of Aberdeen University scientists are now looking into the possibility of using shark antibodies to treat breast cancer.
The researchers explain that, as several previous studies have shown, these animals have a surprisingly strong immune system. Therefore, they suspect that some of the antibodies they produce could successfully halt the growth of tumors in breast cancer patients.
The scientists explain that, in order to develop, these tumors rely on a protein dubbed HER2. This protein sits on a tumor's surface and fuels its growth, Daily Mail details.
It is this protein that the Aberdeen University researchers wish to target and destroy with the help of shark antibodies.
Thus, they are now carrying out a series of experiments intended to determine whether or not these animals' immune system can produce antibodies that are capable of tackling said protein.
As part of these experiments, the scientists inject nurse sharks with various amounts of HER2.
Unlike other shark species, nurse sharks are fairly docile. Thus, despite the fact that they are quite big, they do not constitute a major threat to the researchers and their collaborators.
Some time after the animals have had HER2 injected in their bodies, the researchers collect blood samples from their tail and analyze their makeup.
“It is just like going to the doctor to get your holiday shots. But instead of getting a shot in the arm, they get a shot in the fin. We let it cook for a couple of months and then go in and take a blood sample from their tail,” researcher Helen Dooley explains.
The scientists hope that they will be able to pin down antibodies that target the HER2 protein in these blood samples, and that they will manage to find a way to use a synthetic version of these antibodies to halt the growth of tumors.
The researchers working on this project estimate that, all things considered, it will be another decade until these experiments lead to the development of a new breast cancer drug.