Finding out what makes cancer tick

Let’s file this under the “extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof” category, shall we?

It may be one of nature’s repulsive little blood-sucking parasites, but the humble tick could yield a future cure for cancers of the skin, liver and pancreas, Brazilian researchers have discovered.

They have identified a protein in the saliva of a common South American tick, Amblyomma cajennense, that apparently reduces and can even eradicate cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells alone.

“This is a radical innovation,” said Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi, the molecular biologist at the Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo who is leading the research.

“The component of the saliva of this tick… could be the cure for cancer,” she told AFP.

Tick saliva could hold cancer cure: Brazilian scientists

But here’s my prediction: Quack medical “tick cures” will be filling your inbox as spam within weeks. And all of them will point back to this research as proof that their special “t1ck extract balm” will cure you of all ailments.

(Icky dog tick photo by Gary Alpert)