Searching for Drugs that Mimic Laron Syndome Effect to Prevent Cancer and Diabetes

What Protects Laron Dwarfs Against Cancer?

A riddle wrapped inside an enigma, that's what cancer seems like sometimes but perhaps there is a key. Maybe that key is to be found among people living in remote villages in Ecuador. "The Laron Dwarfs have a mutation that some biologists say may throw light on human longevity and ways to increase it. The villagers are very small, generally less than three and a half feet tall, and have a rare condition known as Laron syndrome or Laron-type dwarfism. They are probably the descendants of conversos, Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal who were forced to convert to Christianity in the 1490s but were nonetheless persecuted in the Inquisition. They are also almost completely free of two age-related diseases, cancer and diabetes". That's what a NY Times article said about these remarkable people.

What Does the Doctor Studying Them Think?

The doctor following them noticed that this group of dwarfs in Ecuador, Laron dwarfs didn't seem to get cancer or diabetes mellitus....The doctor, Dr.Guevara believes that the gene that stunts their growth also helps to prevent cancer and diabetes mellitus. Researchers are trying to illuminate the biological pathway and find drugs to mimic Laron Effect.