According to an analysis of the Atlantic cod’s genome, scientists have discovered the fish have evolved to survive without a set of genes thought essential to the immune system. It is hoped the finding will lead to better vaccines for farmed cod and even open new avenues of medical research for human disease.
Hopes that shark cartilage would prove to be a useful treatment for cancer were not borne out in one of the most rigorously designed and executed studies of an alternative therapy ever conducted. Adding a drug derived from shark cartilage to standard cancer treatments did not improve survival among patients with late-stage lung cancer in the study.
Researchers believe this quality could be harnessed to help slow the spread of diseases such as cancer.
Potentially, it could lead to a new generation of drug treatments.
The Australian team found that shark antibodies can withstand high temperatures as well as extremely acidic or alkaline conditions.
