Apparently, kangaroos have an enzyme that repairs their DNA and prevents skin cancer. This is not to say that kangaroos never get skin cancer; however, it’s almost unheard of. Inasmuch as over 400,000 Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year, scientists there are hot on the trail to see if they can convert the ‘roo’s enzyme into a version that could be added to a cream for human skin. The cream would be applied after a day in the sun to help prevent DNA damage, which can lead to skin cancer.
The research has been performed through a collaboration of scientists from the University of Innsbruck in Austria and Melbourne University in Australia. According to Linda Feketeova, one of the Australian researchers, “Other research teams have proposed a ‘dream cream’ containing the DNA repair enzyme which you could slap on your skin after a day in the sun. We are now examining whether this would be feasible by looking at the chemistry behind the DNA repair system.”
You can bet that any resulting cream is a long way off, but scientists are eager to reach their final goal to create a cream and obtain government approval to market it. We’ll let you know when we hear more about this exciting development!
In the meantime, come in and see us for Elta MD sunscreen. We highly recommend an SPF of 45 or higher, to be on the side of safety! Check out Sunscreen FAQ page and our animated video about how sun damage occurs.
