Radioprotection of healthy tissue via nanoparticle-delivered mRNA encoding for a damage-suppressor protein found in tardigrades

Patients undergoing radiation therapy experience debilitating side effects because of toxicity arising from radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in normal peritumoural cells. Here, inspired by the ability of tardigrades to resist extreme radiation through the expression of a damage-suppressor protein that binds to DNA and reduces strand breaks, we show that the local and transient expression of the protein can reduce radiation-induced DNA damage …

JCI TRAIL agonists rescue mice from radiation-induced lung, skin, or esophageal injury

Radiotherapy can be limited by pneumonitis, which is impacted by innate immunity, including pathways regulated by TRAIL death receptor DR5. We investigated whether DR5 agonists could rescue mice from toxic effects of radiation and found that 2 different agonists, parenteral PEGylated trimeric TRAIL (TLY012) and oral TRAIL-inducing compound (TIC10/ONC201), could reduce pneumonitis, alveolar wall thickness, and oxygen desaturation. Lung protection…

Protein from tardigrades can help tolerate radiotherapy

Anne Trafton | MIT News About 60 percent of all cancer patients in the United States receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. However, this radiation can have severe side effects that often end up being too difficult for patients to tolerate. Drawing inspiration from a tiny organism that can withstand huge amounts of radiation, researchers at MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the University of Iowa have developed a new strategy…

A protein that helps tardigrades survive in extreme conditions could also help humans reduce DNA damage from radiation. Tardigrades are among the most resilient animals on our planet. You can dry them out completely, freeze them to near absolute zero or heat them to 148 degrees Celsius: they can survive it all. […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl .

A protein from the small microscopic animal reduces damage caused by rays without preventing their effectiveness on tumour cells. A promising advance.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found that a protein found in tardigrades — microscopic creatures that survive in outer space — may be the key to protecting humans from radiation exposure. The study reveals the potential applications of this technique both in oncology and in space missions. Scientists have long been interested in tardigrada... The post Tardigrade protein as a possi…