Venom gets good buzz as potential cancer-fighter

By the reasoning of marijuana enthusiasts, this means snake venom is harmless, in fact good for you, because it can kill cancer cells in the laboratory.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/acs-vgg071714.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 11-Aug-2014

Michael Bernstein
Katie Cottingham, Ph.D.
American Chemical Society

Venom gets good buzz as potential cancer-fighter (video)

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug.11, 2014 — Bee, snake or scorpion venom could form the basis of a new generation of cancer-fighting drugs, scientists will report here today. They have devised a method for targeting venom proteins specifically to malignant cells while sparing healthy ones, which reduces or eliminates side effects that the toxins would otherwise cause.

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"We have safely used venom toxins in tiny nanometer-sized particles to treat breast cancer and melanoma cells in the laboratory," says Dipanjan Pan, Ph.D., who led the study. "These particles, which are camouflaged from the immune system, take the toxin directly to the cancer cells, sparing normal tissue."

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