The Genetics of ”Super Powers”

The naked mole rat and the elephant show exceptional longevity and resistance to cancer. The tardigrade is resistant to heat, cold and UV radiation. Other species are resistant to desiccation, muscle waste and many other extreme conditions. In this project we aim to identify the unique protein sequences which evolved in these species to give them “super powers”. These sequences will be used for the identification of drug targets for treatment of cancer and other conditions.

Some species diverge from the common interaction between body weight and longevity.Some examples of these species are illustrated in the scatterplot.