How these twins' rare growth disorder could provide the key to preventing cancer
Nestled in southern Ecuador's network of Andes mountains is the town of Piñas, whose 8,000 inhabitants live in houses scattered across a valley. This remote
Nestled in southern Ecuador's network of Andes mountains is the town of Piñas, whose 8,000 inhabitants live in houses scattered across a valley. This remote town is home to an unusually high number of people living with Laron syndrome, a rare genetic condition that prevents the body from growing taller than 1.2m (3.9ft).
María Luísa Romero and her twin sister, María del Cisne, both have the condition but they say being there for each other has helped them. "We're always strong, we pool our strength and one defends the other," María Luísa explains as she sits on a sofa next to her sister. Living with Laron syndrome can be challenging, the sisters say.
But researchers believe it may provide an unexpected advantage - the incidence of diseases such as cancer and diabetes among Laron patients is lower than in the general population. They hope that studying this could lead to the development of treatments to prevent cancer. "The idea is to be able to replicate, through a drug or a diet, what happens in people with Laron syndrome, in other people without the syndrome," says endocrinologist Dr Jaime Guevara, who has been studying it for 40 years.
"It would be a great contribution from this wonderful community to the world."
The BriefWire