Slime Mold Vein Networks Give Hint To Cure Cancer

LQ13471  - Slime molds are omnipresent in nature. They feed on organic material and avoid direct sunlight. The typical damp-fresh smell in the woods is emanating from them. These slimy creatures appear primitive, yet they have developed a sophisticated strategy to transport food and deliver environmental information. They use an intricate system of veins organized in a network. Most unexpectedly, slime molds give us a hint to cure cancer. Their smart mechanism of network formation is so general that it can be applied to analyze the development of blood supply via vessel in tumors. Thus, the effectiveness of different therapies in hindering tumor growth could be tested. In order to arrive at this conclusion researchers have used exact mathematical tools from topology. This branch of mathematics deals with  the ways general objects are connected independent of their shape.