Venom, an anti-cancer weapon?

Snake and scorpion venom can be fatal. Everyone knows it and that’s why these beasts arouse so much fear. But maybe soon they will inspire sympathy, even hope. Because they could be an effective way to fight cancer, according to a recent study published in The American Chemical Society.

Healthy cells spared
Carried out by the University of Urbana-Champaign in Illinois, the study involved injecting venom toxins into cancer cells to see if they could destroy them while leaving healthy cells intact. The results are convincing: all the diseased cells were eliminated without touching the healthy cells. “We have safely used venom toxins in nanoscale particles to treat breast cancer and melanoma in vitro. These particles, camouflaged in the immune system, send the toxin directly into the cancer cell, sparing the healthy one, ”explained Dr Dipanjan Pan, director of research, who presented the findings to 248^th meeting of the American chemical society, in San Francisco.

Fatal reactions in humans
This is not the first time that scientists have mentioned the potentially therapeutic effects of the venom on cancer. This is because the venom of bees, snakes and scorpions contains proteins and peptides. These two components can attach themselves to the membrane of cancer cells, which has the effect of stopping the development of the tumor. But so far no one has found a way to use this method without destroying other cells in the body. Although there are different categories of venom depending on the species, the effects on humans are formidable and often fatal: drop in blood pressure, hemorrhages, paralysis, asphyxia, destruction of organs and cells.

It was therefore too dangerous to use the venom of these animals to verify its therapeutic effects against tumors until now. But the findings of Dr Pan and his team are encouraging. Scientists plan to continue the experiment in pigs and mice. On the other hand, it will take a few years (3 to 5 years) to do the test on humans.