It revealed how the muscle turned to bone. Lymphocytes, white blood cells which normally kill off invading diseases, were killing healthy muscle cells. Blood samples from patients revealed their lymphocytes were carrying BMP, the bone producing protein. Treatment With the key to the anatomy of the disease Zasloff started looking for a cure. His research into natural chemicals lead him to the rare terror of the deep, the shark.
Sharks are vertebrates without a bony skeleton.
They are all cartilage. The key seemed to lie in the restriction of blood vessel formation. Without the correct blood supply, cartilage cannot turn into bone. By grinding up liver tissue Zasloff discovered a completely new substance, the agent that blocks the growth of blood vessels. If they could harness its powers for use in a drug, they could stop the blood vessels from delivering nutrients for excess bone growth and subdue, even stop it.