The genome of the great white shark has finally been decoded, and it may hold the key to discovering a cure for cancer.

The genome is far bigger than that of a human and contains a plethora of mutations that protect against cancer and other age-related diseases.

It contains an estimated 4.63 billion 'base pairs', the chemical units of DNA, making it one-and-a-half times bigger than its human counterpart.

Experts believe the great white genome evolved to be stable and disease resistant and could be key in developing future treatments.

The animal's genetic code also gives them enhanced wound healing which allows them to recover from severe ailments.

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The great white genome is far bigger than that of a human and contains a plethora of mutations that protect against cancer and other age-related diseases. It contains an estimated 4.63 billion 'base pairs', the chemical units of DNA, making it one-and-a-half times bigger than its human counterpart

Study co-leader Dr Mahmood Shivji, director of the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Centre at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, US, said: 'Genome instability is a very important issue in many serious human diseases.

'Now we find that nature has developed clever strategies to maintain the stability of genomes in these large-bodied, long-lived sharks.

'There's still tons to be learned from these evolutionary marvels, including information that will potentially be useful to fight cancer and age-related diseases, and improve wound healing treatments in humans, as we uncover how these animals do it.'

Within the great white's DNA is evidence of around 24,500 protein-encoding genes, compared with 19,000 to 20,000 in the average human.

Great white sharks, which measure up to 20 feet long (six metres) and weigh as much as three tonnes, are ancient giants that have been on Earth for at least 16 million years.

They have evolved numerous molecular changes in genes linked to DNA repair and damage tolerance, the scientists found.

Together these adaptations have acted to keep the shark's genome stable.

Great white sharks, which measure up to 20 feet long (six metres) and weigh as much as three tonnes, are ancient giants that have been on Earth for at least 16 million years. They have evolved numerous molecular changes in genes linked to DNA repair and damage tolerance, the scientists found (stock)

Humans however, have a very unstable genome. This can lead to age-related diseases such as cancer.

'Not only were there a surprisingly high number of genome stability genes that contained these adaptive changes, but there was also an enrichment of several of these genes, highlighting the importance of this genetic fine-tuning in the white shark,' said Dr Shivji.

At the same time the great white genome contained high numbers of so-called 'jumping genes', or transposons - short DNA sequences that leap from one location in the genome to another and help speed up evolution.

Other great white gene mutations were found to be linked to processes involved wound healing, including blood clotting.

Sharks are known for their impressive ability to recover from even serious injuries.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.