In New Zealand and Australia, possums are a pest. They hunt smaller animals and birds, often those that are already on the verge of extinction, and they breed prolifically.

New Zealanders and Australians have found ways of ‘recycling’ the possum, turning it into possum stew, using its fur as an alternative to that of rarer animals, and even mixing its ‘wool’ with that of merinos to form luxury knitwear.

Possums may help science - and men

But now something quite different is coming out of man’s relationship with possums. I write ‘man’ intentionally, as scientists at Invermay Agricultural Centre and the Otago Medical School are working on the possibility that possums may be able to help in the search for a solution to the problems men, as they grow older, have with their prostates.

A possum’s prostate gland is anatomically identical to a human’s. The possum’s gland grows and shrinks seasonally, in relation to the breeding cycle. What these scientists are trying to discover is what causes the ‘shrinkage’ of the possum gland. If this can be found, it may be useful in ‘shrinking’ the male prostate gland and thus avoiding the urinary problems many men have as they age.

A drug that would either prevent the male prostate from growing, or make it regress, would be far preferable as a solution to that of surgery, which can leave men debilitated for weeks, can often make erections difficult, and can reduce the sexual drive.

The problem of the Prostate

The prostate gland, as it grows, surrounds the male urethra (through which urine passes) and squeezes it, sometimes even blocking it completely. This has considerable consequences for the easy passing of urine.

Up till now no one had thought of using possums as an animal model for the study of prostate growth and shrinking, but to the scientists involved in the study, it looks ideal.

The research

Over the next two years, the scientists (headed by Dr Bernie McLeod and Professor Helen Nicholson) will focus on what exactly it is that makes the possum’s prostate shrink and what genes are involved in the process. At present the scientists’ understanding is still in the early stages, but they are confident that in due course the possum will be able answer the questions they’re asking of it.

Footnote

Invermay Research Station, (now a branch of AgResearch), is situated in Mosgiel, near the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, has a long history of special research, and has won many awards over the years.

You can check out the AgResearch site