SHARK CARTILAGE
Sharks have been around for 400 million years.
They are probably the longest living of all earths creatures.
Sharks have a very unique immune system and recover from cuts and injury with speed.
The shark almost never develops cancer.
Even when in tests it was contained in water laden with carcinogens the shark will resist cancer.
It was found sharks avoided cancer by being completely boneless.
The sharks framework is made of cartilage.
In this catalage is a special protein which inhibits the growth of a network of blood vessels.
This growth process is known as angiogenesis.
Cartilage is avascular - it contains no blood vessels.
A cancerous tumour needs to establish a network of blood vessels.
Without blood supply the tumour dies.
The antiangiogenesis factor in a sharks cartilage filled body is such that it seems to prevent a tumour from surviving by stopping the establishment of a blood vessel network.