A tribe in Pakistan suspects to be immune from cancer

KARACHI: Researchers in Chitral, Pakistan, had discovered that the DNA and genome of the Kho tribe in the region have made them resistant to cancer, despite the region's high frequency of risk factors for the disease.

They've requested extensive research to see if they have the ability to fight off the ailment. Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan (AWKUM), research on the Kho tribe found that several genes associated with cancer show a natural selection trend, which may be a biological strategy to resist cancer disease.

A team from AWKUM's department of biochemistry, including Dr Asifullah Khan, Dr Shahid Aziz, Hizbullah Khan, Komal Zeb, and Kiran Nigar, has published a paper in the European Journal of Human Genetics on the genetic heritage of the Kho tribe.

The DNA and physiology of the Kho people may help them fight cancer, but they were nonetheless at risk of contracting the disease because of the presence of causative factors in the ecosystem, according to the study.

An adaptation to malignant microbe infection, according to the study's findings, could be attributed to the genes of numerous study participants. Kho's adaptive reaction to increased ultraviolet light exposure at high altitudes in the Hindu Kush mountainous region may be reflected in the evolution of cancer aetiology genes and their selection.