Bats don't get cancer, and researchers finally know why

Cancer in all species

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Cancer takes form in nearly all mammals. The disease is a leading cause of death for humans and many animals, particularly pets. Others, however, show remarkable resistance.

Bats avoid the disease

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Among the animals with little cancer prevalence, bats stand out because they are also genetically predisposed to longevity, which should be an added risk.

Long lives

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Bats live very long lives. According to Earth.com, some bat species live up to 35 years in the wild, equivalent to around 180 human years.

Impressive

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Every time cells divide, the risk of cancer increases. Bats have managed to increase cell division, renovating cells constantly and keeping them young longer while also avoiding cancerous cell tumors.

Remaining young and cancer-free

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

So, the tiny animals might hold some keys to avoiding the effects of aging and cancer simultaneously. They are also health research models because of their resistance to viruses.

Understanding why

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Researchers from the Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester set out to investigate why, and they discovered a three-factor system. They published their results in Nature Communications.

Photo: National Cancer Institute / Unsplash

Three factors

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov, who led the research, told Earth.com that bats' genes, chromosomes, and immune systems create a nearly perfect system to prevent cancer.

Gene P53

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Bats have two working copies of the P53 gene, a tumor suppressor gene, while humans only have one. Other notoriously cancer-resistance species, like elephants, also have more than one gene copy.

Boosted protection

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Bats also have longer telomeres, the tips of chromosomes. These get shorter as we age and tissue replacement reduces. They keep it long and constantly replace their cells. This would generally constitute a risk, but the P53 genes stop that.

Immune system

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

The bat's notoriously effective immune system is the third factor in its successful anti-cancer strategy. It easily spots danger but stays unusually calm, reducing chronic inflammation, a significant cancer risk in humans.

What we can learn

Cancer in all species, Bats avoid the disease, Long lives, Impressive, Remaining young and cancer-free, Understanding why, Three factors, Gene P53, Boosted protection, Immune system, What we can learn

Cancer Research UK called bats "tomorrow's tiny health influencers." Scientists worldwide work on medicines that mimic the systems bats use to repair their DNA and keep cancer in check.

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