Tethya wilhelma (Porifera) Is Highly Resistant to Radiation Exposure and Possibly Cancer

Sponges are among the first animals that evolved on Earth. They are a very diverse group of animals made up of thousands of species. Despite being studied and used since antiquity, the development of tumors has never been described in sponges. Our study has highlighted that sponges are capable of tolerating a very high dose of radiation (equivalent to 60,000 human chest X-rays) never before observed in long-lived multicellular organisms (some sponge species can live hundreds or even thousands of years) with a sustained somatic cell turnover. During the observation period after X-ray exposure, we did not observe any changes in the sponges that suggested the development of tumors. This is the first experimental evidence that sponges are radioresistant, suggesting that the lack of evidence of tumor development in sponges may well be due to cancer prevention mechanisms. This discovery could allow for the identification of new mechanisms of DNA protection or repair, as well as the identification of molecules produced by sponges that could be the basis for the development of new drugs to protect against radiation and cancer.