BATS may hold vital clues to beating cancer, a study has revealed.
Research shows that rapid evolution in the creatures could explain their ability to both host and survive infections — as well as avoid cancer.
Scientists, writing for the Genome Biology and Evolution journal, studied the Jamaican fruit bat and the Mesoamerican mustached bat.
They compared their genetic sequencing with a diverse collection of bats and other mammals.
The team found a number of notable genetic adaptations in the bats — including 46 that were cancer-related.
Dr Armin Scheben, from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the US, said: "By generating these new bat genomes and comparing them to other mammals we continue to find extraordinary new adaptations in antiviral and anticancer genes."
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“These investigations are the first step towards translating research on the unique biology of bats into insights relevant to treating diseases, such as cancer, in humans.”
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