Antlers could hold cure for bone disease

DEER antlers may hold the secret to curing osteoporosis and other bone diseases, researchers have revealed.

A new study has identified the specific genes responsible for the 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 speed unique in the animal kingdom.

They sprout in the spring and by the summer can grow at up to 2cm a day, before beginning to shed by winter.

Peter Yang, an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at Stanford University in the US, began investigating deer after learning about the species while on holiday in Alaska.

From samples taken from sprouting antlers, scientists found a gene called uhrf1, which supports rapid bone cell proliferation, and s100a10, responsible for the rapid mineralisation, or hardening, of bone tissue.

They believe this discovery may have transformative potential for medicine because both genes are also linked to bone development in humans. (© Daily Telegraph, London)