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The world’s most resilient animal, the microscopic tardigrade, produces a radiation resisting protein that could revolutionize cancer treatment, according to a new study.
Scientists found that the tardigrade, commonly and affectionately called “water bear” or “moss piglet,” produces a damage suppressor protein called “Dsup,” which could be used by cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, the study, published Wednesday, states.
The unique protein has been shown to drastically reduce radiation damage to healthy cells in mice while still allowing radiation therapy to target cancerous cells, researchers found.
“Radiation can be very helpful for many tumors, but we also recognize that the side effects can be limiting,” Giovanni Traverso, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and study co-author told MIT News.
“There’s an unmet need with respect to helping patients mitigate the risk of damaging adjacent tissue,” said Traverso.
Researchers utilized mRNA technology to manipulate certain cells in mice to produce the Dsup protein, and then exposed the cells to radiation.
The manipulated cells were able to resist radiation damage, with researchers believing the tardigrade-made protein suppresses damage by binding DNA strands and preventing them from disintegrating — common fallout for cancer patients in radiation therapy.
Scientists, encouraged by this remarkable discovery, believe they can create an upgraded version of Dsup which can be used to radiation-proof human cells without any unwanted drawbacks.
They also believe that the protein could be used by astronauts to prevent space-related radiation.
Tardigrades are able to make themselves at home in the most extreme biomes on planet Earth — and beyond. The microscopic, eight-legged little beasties have made homes of mountaintops, moss, sand dunes, underwater, and can even survive in the vacuum of space.
Last year, scientists discovered a new species of tardigrade that was hyper-resistant to radiation pressure — even expressing the ability to repair broken strands of DNA.
