Science

SHARKS may help fight breast cancer, new research shows

Sharks could hold the key to fighting breast cancer, scientists have claimed.

IgNAR antibodies unique to shark blood could be used to prevent the growth of cancer cells, a study conducted at the University of Aberdeen has found.

Biologists from the university have been awarded £200,000 by Scottish cancer research charity the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) to carry out a three-year study - in the hope that the research could lead to the development of new drugs to fight the most common form of the disease in the UK.

Their work will focus on two molecules, HER2 and HER3, found on the surface of cancer cells which, when they pair up, are responsible for signalling cancer cells to grow and divide.

Potentially, IgNAR antibodies could be used to stop these molecules from working and sending the signal.