A brightly colored pet gecko that is unusually prone to cancer may become a valuable new model for researchers, according to ScienceDaily. Scientists say the animal’s naturally occurring tumors could help reveal why some species are highly vulnerable to cancer while others rarely develop it.
The research, led by the University of Nottingham and published in BMC Biology, focused on a special leopard gecko variety known in the pet trade as the “lemon frost” morph. The study identified genetic changes linked to tumors, and many of those changes were found in genes and biological pathways already associated with human cancers.
According to the researchers, about 80% of lemon frost geckos develop aggressive tumors. Unlike lab animals that are often used after cancer is artificially triggered, these geckos develop tumors naturally and at a relatively young age, giving scientists a chance to observe how cancer forms, grows, and spreads under natural conditions.
The team used whole genome sequencing to compare tumor tissue with healthy tissue from the same animals and found a recurring set of genetic changes. The researchers say those similarities could make the gecko a useful complement to traditional cancer models and may point toward new ways to study prevention, detection, and treatment in humans.
