By Meg Hamill •
October 13, 2008
Scientists in Australia have discovered antibodies in the blood of sharks that could potentially prove effective in battling cancer.
It has been discovered that the antibodies (molecules that fight disease) in sharks are extremely resilient and researchers hope that this quality can be isolated to help slow the spread of cancer, malaria, and other human diseases.
The Australian team discovered that shark antibodies were tough and able to survive in both very acidic and very alkaline settings. This is important as it means that a “shark pill” would still be effective within the very acidic environment of the human stomach.
By Meg Hamill •
October 8, 2008
Two Americans, and one Japanese scientist, (Martin Chalfie, Roger Tsien and Osamu Shimomura) recently won a share of the Chemistry Nobel Prize for “borrowing” the glowing jellyfish trait and putting it to use.
Well, we’re at it again, “borrowing” the magical and bizarre wonders offered up by the natural world, and using these wonders to make humans healthier and happier. This time, we’ve isolated that strange trait that makes jellyfish glow in dark waters, and we’re using this trait for everything from cancer research to GMO’s.
They call it green fluorescent protein or GFP. Scientists can use what makes jellyfish glow, to show how brain cells develop or how cancer spreads. The glowing trait has also become important in biological engineering. When scientists are trying to change an animal or a plant, oftentimes they will use the gene responsible for GFP as part of the change. The “glow” will let them know whether the change has been successfully incorporated into the organism or not.
