What can elephants can teach us about cancer? Researchers have wondered for years why elephants rarely get cancer.

Researchers have wondered for years why elephants rarely get cancer. A researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah, working with the local zoo and Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus found the answer that could lead to better treatment and maybe even prevention of the disease in humans.

Eric Peterson has cared for Hogle Zoo elephants for 22 years. He didn’t flinch when Josh Schiffman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah asked for samples of their blood.

Eric said, “I’m used to actually getting obscure questions, and that was a very obscure question.”
Dr. Schiffman wanted to know why humans have a 50 percent chance to get cancer in their lifetimes, but elephants have less than five percent, especially since elephants are 100 times bigger and have 100 times more cells that could get sick.


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Last Edited by LJS on 01/06/2016 05:52 PM