Will leopard geckos help in unlocking cancers secrets?

The lemon frost Leopard Gecko morph is known for it's high tumor rate. 80% of the morph develops tumors, but it is unknown why. Researchers at the University of Nottingham decided to look at the geckos to study not only their tumors but how they develop.

Unlike traditional laboratory models for cancer research, such as mice, which typically require tumors to be induced, lemon frost geckos develop tumors naturally relatively early in life—tumors that often metastasize. This gives scientists a rare opportunity to investigate how cancer arises, evolves and spreads in an animal that develops the disease naturally.

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Scott Glaberman, from the University of Birmingham, who was also involved in the study, said, "We often look inward to solve human problems, but every species has something to teach us. By studying both animals that are vulnerable to cancer and those that resist it, we have far greater power to understand the disease itself. This is one of the many reasons why protecting biodiversity is so important."

An accident in the pet hobby with a color morph may lead to a breakthrough in human medicine or help learn a little more about to unlock some of humane medical secrets. Pretty amazing stuff. To check out the full article, click here.