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DEter antlers may hold the secret to curing osteoporosis and other debilitating bone diseases, researchers have revealed.
A new study has identified the specific genes responsible for growth and strength of antlers, paving the way for a future genetic treatment for human bone conditions.
A form of temporary external bone, antlers grow at a single speed in the animal kingdom.
They sprout in the spring and by the summer can grow to up to 2cm a day, before beginning to shed by the beginning of winter.
Peter Yang, an badociate professor of orthopedic surgery at Sanford University, has been investigating deer after learning about the species while on holiday in Alaska.
"It made me wonder – are there special genes that are behind this unusually fast growing bone?" He said.
From samples taken from sprouting antlers, which are still somewhat similar to cartilage, his team identified the area of animal genetics governing the growth of antlers.
In particular, they found a gene called uhrf1, which supports rapid bone cell proliferation, and s100a10, responsible for rapid mineralization, or hardening, of bone tissue.
The scientists believe this discovery may have a transformative effect on the development of both genes and their genes.
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