Obtaining a Protein from Water Bears (tardigrades) PotentiallyYields Human Radiation Resistant Protection
Hang on a sec, buddy! The tiny, tenacious tardigrade, better known as a water bear, might just be our secret weapon against cancer's toughest opponent: radiation therapy. A team of scientific warriors led by MIT, the University of Iowa, and others have discovered that a protein produced by these microscopic survival masters could shield our healthy cells from radiation's destructive force. Yep, you heard it right - this protein could make cancer treatments a whole lot less, you know, cancerous!
On Wednesday, these researchers published their findings in Nature Biomedical Engineering, and boy, did they grab everyone's attention. They saw significant damage reduction in normal mouse cells while keeping the radiation therapy focused on malignant tumors. This could open doors for many cancer patients, offering a new weapon against radiation side effects, the researchers claim.
So, what's this wonder protein called, anyway? It's known as the damage suppressor protein, or Dsup, for short. Just like tardigrades themselves, Dsup helps the critters fight against extreme doses of radiation—thousands of times more than a human can tolerate. How does it do it? By binding to DNA strands and preventing them from breaking apart.
The research team decided to give this radiation-busting ability a try on our own species. Using mRNA technology, they managed to temporarily activate Dsup production in certain mouse cells. These cells, primarily lining the mouth and rectum, are typical targets for radiation therapy due to various cancers.
Just like their tardigrade counterparts, the mice showed a boost in resilience against radiation damage. When these finds were tested on mice with oral cancer, the team saw no negative effects on radiation's tumor-busting capabilities.
As amazing as this discovery may be, we still have a long way to go before we can incorporate Dsup into human cancer treatments. The team is already working on an enhanced version of the protein that's less likely to trigger an unwanted immune response. Also, scientists at other labs have discovered even more resistant tardigrades, hinting that Dsup isn't the only tactic we can borrow from these radiation warriors.
If all goes well, we could expect Dsup to provide significant benefits to the close to ½ of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Not to mention its potential use for protecting astronauts from space radiation and cancer patients from chemotherapy-induced DNA damage.
“Radiation can be very helpful for many tumors, but we also recognize that the side effects can be limiting,” study co-author Giovanni Traverso, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, explained. “There’s an unmet need with respect to helping patients mitigate the risk of damaging adjacent tissue.”
Tardigrades have always amazed us with their incredible resilience and survival skills. With a little help, maybe one day, we'll get a piece of that superpower too!
This protein, discovered in tardigrades, has the potential to broadly impact various health fields. It could prevent radiation's destructive force in healthy cells during cancer therapy, making treatments less cancerous. This damage suppressor protein, or Dsup, is currently under investigation to be incorporated into human cancer treatments, aiming to minimize side effects for nearly half of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Furthermore, Dsup's radiation-busting ability could potentially protect astronauts from space radiation and cancer patients from chemotherapy-induced DNA damage.
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