[ad_1]
The most venomous creature in the world is neither a snake nor a scorpion, it's actually the jellyfish box – a creature with enough venom to kill more than 60 people. Researchers have discovered an antidote to the deadly bite of the sea wasp.
By publishing their discoveries in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Sydney have successfully identified a molecule serving as an antidote for this venom. However, it is important to note that so far they have only tested it on human cells in a dish and mice, so it is still early.
Named for its cuboid shape, the Australian jelly box (Chironix fleckeri) has up to 60 tentacles, each measuring up to 3 meters long and laden with millions of fishhooks filled with venom. The purpose of this powerful venom is to stun or kill prey quickly so you do not damage the tentacles of the jelly trying to break free.
The cnidarians are off the coast of northern Australia and in Indo-Pacific waters, reaching speeds of up to 7.5 km / h for hunting fish and shrimp.
Those who have the misfortune to be stung suffer from excruciating pain, cutaneous necrosis and sometimes even cardiac arrest and death just minutes after the meeting. Many victims are in shock and drown so much the pain is great. Those who survive a box of jelly can suffer for several weeks and have scars.
"It's super exciting," said Greg Neely, an associate professor at Sydney's School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
"We were investigating how venom works to better understand how it causes pain, and thanks to new CRISPR genome modification techniques, we could quickly identify how this venom kills human cells." Fortunately, there was already a drug that could Act on the path that venom uses to kill cells, and when we tried this drug as a venom antidote on mice, we found that it could block tissue healing and pain from bites. jellyfish. "
CRISPR is a technique that allows scientists to add, delete or modify genetic material in an organism. It has been used for all kinds of things, from the repair of muscular dystrophy in dogs to the treatment of a rare blood disorder in humans.
The researchers used this method to eliminate different genes from millions of human cells. Through trial and error, they examined which cells had survived a meeting with box jelly venom. This allowed them to spot the features of the man that allow the venom to implant.
"The jellyfish venom path we identified in this study requires cholesterol, and since there are many drugs available to target cholesterol, we could try to block this pathway to see how this impacts venom activity. We took one of these drugs, which we know well, is safe for human use, and we used it against venom, and it worked, "said Dr. Raymond Lau, lead author. "It's a molecular antidote."
The team found that in mice and human cells, their antidote prevented skin necrosis, scarring and pain. Further research is needed to see if this can also stop a heart attack.
The antidote must be applied to the skin within 15 minutes after the sting. The researchers have injected it during their test, but they hope to develop a topical spray. They are currently asking for funds to continue their research.
[ad_2]
Source link