Spider Venom Could Be the Miracle Cure for Heart Attacks theepochtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theepochtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Study: Australian Spider Venom Could Save Heart Attack Victims
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Australian researchers say a treatment found in the
venom of one of the world’s deadliest spiders could save the lives of heart attack victims.
A team from the University of Queensland studied the poison from the Fraser Island funnel-web spider in eastern Australia. They say the venom contains what could be a life-saving molecule, or peptide.
The peptide could block so-called death signals sent to cells after a heart attack, when blood flow to the heart is reduced. A reduction in blood flow cuts off oxygen to the heart muscles. This results in a message being sent in the body for heart cells to die.
Venom s usually the stuff of nightmares. Animals that wield it send instinctive shivers down our spines.
But scientists are teasing out useful purposes for these powerful substances that (sometimes incidentally) can cause us so much pain and damage. Recently we ve seen developments from several types of venoms, from bee venom as a cancer treatment to using platypus venom for diabetes.
A team of researchers has developed the next venom-based medical advancement: a fast-acting super glue that stops bleeding in under a minute.
While synthetic adhesives can be easier to manipulate, their degradation can potentially be toxic. Meanwhile, natural bioadhesives are more likely to have excellent biocompatibility , explained the authors in their new paper, but limited overall integrity and adhesion.
Deadly Australia Spider Venom Could Save Heart Attack Victims - New Delhi Times - India s Only International Newspaper newdelhitimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newdelhitimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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.