Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and collaborating institutions are investigating the extreme physiological adaptations of pythons to uncover potential treatments for human medical conditions. The research, led by geneticist Leslie Leinwand and molecular biologist Skip Maas, focuses on several distinctive capabilities pythons possess that could offer insights into managing human health problems.
One major area of investigation centers on the python’s cardiovascular system. Pythons can increase their heart size significantly following a meal to pump additional blood and oxygen needed for digestion, then shrink the organ back to normal size within approximately a month. In contrast, human hearts that enlarge due to high blood pressure or heart attacks typically remain enlarged and become stiffened, potentially leading to serious complications. Researchers are studying the molecular signals that regulate this heart growth and reduction cycle in pythons, hoping to develop interventions that could reverse harmful cardiac enlargement in humans. Recent research by molecular biologist Yuxiao Tan has also shown that python cardiac muscle cells increase in number after feeding, whereas human heart muscle cells cannot effectively regenerate after damage like a heart attack.
Another research focus involves the python’s remarkable ability to maintain muscle mass during extended fasting periods. Even after months without food, pythons retain sufficient muscle strength and function, a capability observed in virtually no other animal. This adaptation could eventually lead to treatments addressing age-related muscle deterioration in humans.
A significant breakthrough emerged from research published this spring in the journal Nature Metabolism. Scientists identified a molecule called pTOS that increases roughly a thousand-fold in python blood following feeding. Studies show this molecule acts as an appetite suppressant by affecting the brain’s hypothalamus, and when administered to obese mice, it reduced food intake and promoted weight loss. This discovery has led researchers Maas, Leinwand, Tommy Martin, and Jonathan Long to establish Arkana Therapeutics, a company dedicated to developing python-derived discoveries into clinical treatments.
The approach of studying extreme animal adaptations for medical breakthroughs follows precedent; GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic originated from research on venomous gila monsters. As evolutionary biologist Jasmin Camacho notes, evolution has conducted natural experiments over millions of years that may reveal alternative ways human physiology could function, suggesting significant untapped potential in studying overlooked species for disease treatment and prevention.