Objectives and missions of the foundation


The naked mole rat looks like a small hairless mouse which lives in East Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya). It lives 30 years, in good health, whereas a mouse lives an average of 2 to 3 years. Compared to humans, it is as if we live 600 years in perfect health. We have 93% of common genes with the naked mole rat. It is resistant to cancers, cardio-vascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer, which are the main causes of human mortality.
The first observations show that the Naked Mole Rat never develops spontaneous cancer, and that its cells never develop malignant tumors.
If a Naked Mole Rat is exposed to highly carcinogenic chemical products it never develops cancer. During the major part of its life it shows no sign of aging: its skin is undamaged. It is vey active and is fertile up to its death.
At the age of 30, the Naked Mole rat dies, but up to now we are unable to explain why.


To be able to decipher the puzzle of the Naked Mole Rat, would mean solving the enigma of cancer, cardio-vascular diseases, neuro-degenerative illnesses and all the pathologies linked to aging…


The vocation of the Foundation for Research in Physiology is to :
Create the first Naked Mole Rat breeding center
Set up the first effective laboratory to study the Naked Mole Rat, in collaboration with the best international scientific teams
Initiate and carry out scientific and medical research to shed light on the mechanisms that protect the Naked Mole Rat