Wolves from the Chornobyl zone have developed resistance to cancer
Wolves living in the exclusion zone of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant can help fight cancer due to their resistance to cancer acquired under the influence of radiation.
American researcher Kara Love from Princeton University has found that Chornobyl wolves have changes in their immune systems similar to those observed in patients undergoing radiotherapy. During the study in the exclusion zone, scientists installed GPS collars with dosimeters on wolves and analyzed their blood. It was discovered that wolves have certain genomic regions that provide the body with resistance to cancer.
The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle in January 2024, indicating the need for further experiments in this area.
This study emphasizes the potential value of studying the effects of radiation on living organisms in extreme conditions, such as the Chornobyl exclusion zone. The discovery of the Chornobyl wolves’ resistance to cancer may open up new opportunities for the development of methods for the prevention and treatment of cancer in humans, in particular by studying and using the unique genomic changes of these animals.
