Melbourne researchers believe that understanding how kangaroos repair their DNA could be the key to preventing skin cancer in the future.
The team of researchers are based at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at The University of Melbourne.
Collaborating with scientists at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, the team is investigating the chemistry behind potential skin cancer therapies.
They are focusing on a DNA repair enzyme found in kangaroos and many other organisms, but not humans. This enzyme is very effective in repairing a particular type of DNA damage linked to many skin cancers.
“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,” said one researcher Dr Linda Feketeová.
The groups are simulating the skin’s UV exposure in the laboratory, and then analysing the DNA repair process in a specialised mass spectrometer instrument.
The plan is to study chemical by-products generated by the DNA's repair process, which have not been seen before. It is hoped that studying these by-products will help determine if the DNA repair enzyme could be incorporated into a safe and effective method for skin cancer prevention.