Deadly spider venom could help prevent damage from heart attacks
A potentially life-saving treatment for heart attack victims has been discovered from a very unlikely source - the venom of one of the world s deadliest spiders.
A drug candidate developed from a molecule found in the venom of the Fraser Island (K gari) funnel web spider can prevent damage caused by a heart attack and extend the life of donor hearts used for organ transplants.
The discovery was made by a team led by Dr Nathan Palpant and Professor Glenn King from The University of Queensland (UQ) and Professor Peter Macdonald from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.
Repairing hearts with deadly spider venom eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Repairing hearts with deadly spider venom miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.