In the forests of upstate New York, little brown bats hang upside down in caves, sometimes for decades. One of them was once found to be more than 30 years old. That’s the bat equivalent of 180 human years—and yet, these animals rarely develop cancer.
Now, scientists at the University of Rochester may finally understand how bats achieve this remarkable feat. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, offer a stunning window into bat biology as well as a potential path toward new strategies for cancer prevention and treatment in humans.
The Bat Paradox
It’s long been a puzzle. Cancer is, statistically speaking, a disease of aging. The longer something lives, the more likely its cells are to go rogue. That’s because cancer requires a series of mutations—what scientists call “hits”—to occur in the same cell. Humans typically need anywhere from three to eight of these hits. Mice need only two.
Surprisingly, bats also need just two hits. “Unlike other long-lived mammals, bat fibroblasts are readily transformed by two oncogenic ‘hits,’” the researchers write. In laboratory experiments, cells from three bat species—Myotis lucifugus, Eptesicus fuscus, and Eonycteris spelaea—became cancerous after only two genetic alterations: activation of an oncogene (HRasG12V) and inactivation of either the p53 or pRb tumor suppressor pathways.
This discovery turns conventional wisdom on its head. If bat cells are so easily transformed in vitro, why don’t bats develop cancer in vivo?
The answer, it seems, lies in how swiftly and efficiently bats shut cancer down.
The Power of p53
At the heart of bats’ anti-cancer arsenal is a gene called p53. Found in both bats and humans, p53 is often called the “guardian of the genome.” It detects DNA damage and triggers apoptosis—a kind of cellular suicide—when damage is too severe. In humans, about half of all cancers involve mutations in p53, which prevent it from doing its job.
In bats, however, p53 is unusually potent. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) carry two full copies of the gene, a rare genomic duplication reminiscent of what’s seen in elephants, another cancer-resistant species. Their cells also show elevated p53 activity, and, crucially, they balance this activity perfectly.
“Bat p53 cells exist in the Goldilocks zone where they can kill off the right cells at the right time without overproducing p53,” researchers told Vice. This balance is critical: too much p53 activity can destroy healthy cells, leading to tissue damage and accelerated aging. Too little, and cancer slips through the cracks.
The study also found that bat cells produce higher levels of MDM2 and WRAP53, two molecules that help fine-tune p53 signaling. “All four bat species show enhanced basal levels of WRAP53, sustained following radiation treatment, and not observed in humans or mice,” the researchers wrote.
Immune Systems on High Alert
But bats don’t just rely on p53. Their immune systems are also hyper-efficient—built to handle the toll of flight and survive some of the deadliest viruses on Earth, including Ebola and SARS. Despite carrying some of the most devastating diseases, they rarely get sick, which unfortunately makes them excellent carriers of viruses.
This immune vigilance likely gives bats another edge against cancer. “These or similar immune adaptations may also recognize and eliminate tumors,” the study notes. Evidence from single-cell and transcriptomics studies suggests bats have expanded populations of natural killer cells and CD8+ T-cells—key players in tumor surveillance.
They also seem to age more gracefully. While human cells respond to damage with senescence, entering a zombie-like state that promotes inflammation, bat cells show reduced senescence and low levels of inflammatory molecules. Their immune systems, in short, stay calm and effective—even under stress.
There’s more twist: bat cells keep the enzyme telomerase active throughout their lives. In most mammals, telomerase shuts down with age. Without it, telomeres—the protective caps on chromosomes—wear down, cells stop dividing, and tissues degrade.
Bats, however, continue producing telomerase well into old age. That should, in theory, increase their cancer risk. But their high p53 activity steps in like a cellular border patrol, removing any rogue cells that emerge.
“This intricate system allows them to stave off viruses and age-related diseases,” said Vera Gorbunova, a biologist at the University of Rochester and one of the study’s lead authors.
What This Means for Us
The Rochester team believes their findings could lead to novel cancer therapies in humans. Several existing drugs already target p53, and this research could inform the development of new ones.
There’s also potential in manipulating telomerase—if it can be done safely. Increasing the telomerase enzyme, in a safely manner, might also be a way to apply their findings to human patients.
This research joins a growing field of comparative oncology, which looks to other species—like naked mole rats, elephants, and bowhead whales—for clues to cancer resistance.
“Bats are very long-lived for their size, and tumors are rarely found in bats,” the authors wrote. That fact alone makes them exceptional. Now, we’re beginning to understand why.
