Venom News and Research

RSS

Nanofiber hydrogel infused with snake venom may stop bleeding, protect wounds

A nanofiber hydrogel infused with snake venom may be the best material to stop bleeding quickly, according to Rice University scientists.

27 Oct 2015

Physicists use diamonds to detect early-stage cancerous tumours

Physicists from the University of Sydney have devised a way to use diamonds to identify cancerous tumours before they become life threatening.

12 Oct 2015

Molecular evolution in separate species predicts convergence of toxin resistance

Researchers at LSTM have shown that under certain circumstances evolution can be highly predictable, especially in terms of how creatures become resistant to dangerous toxins.

8 Sep 2015

Researchers one step closer to developing synthetic and cheaper antivenoms

Researchers involved in an international collaboration across six institutions, including the University of Copenhagen and the National Aquarium of Denmark (Den Blå Planet), have successfully identified the exact composition of sea snake venom, which makes the future development of synthetic antivenoms more realistic.

4 Sep 2015

Pennsylvania physicians urge residents to take precautions against bug bites, bee stings

For many people, bug bites and bee stings aren't a big deal beyond a small irritation. But for some, it could mean the start of a painful - possibly long-term or even deadly - experience.

1 Jun 2015

Scorpion venom could kill cancer cells

When the toxin invades channels in the cells with this disease produces cellular damage until killing them.

27 May 2015

NanoPass signs license agreement for supply of MicronJet600 device to Circassia

NanoPass Technologies Ltd., a pioneer in intradermal delivery solutions for vaccines, announced today that it has entered into a license agreement for the supply of MicronJet600, its microneedle delivery device, to Circassia Pharmaceuticals plc. (Oxford, UK), a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on the allergy market.

6 May 2015

Study on spider venom may lead to new class of potent painkillers

New research shows that seven compounds of the countless found in spider venom block a key step in the body's ability to pass pain signals to the brain. The hunt for a medicine based on just one of these compounds, which would open up a new class of potent painkillers, is now a step closer according to new research published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

4 Mar 2015

Venom of cone snails provides leads for possible treatment of cancer, addiction

While considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, snails have found a more intriguing use to scientists and the medical profession offering a plethora of research possibilities. Cone snails are marine mollusks, just as conch, octopi and squid, but they capture their prey using venom.

15 Jan 2015

Bee, snake, scorpion venom could form basis of new generation of cancer-fighting drugs

Bee, snake or scorpion venom could form the basis of a new generation of cancer-fighting drugs, scientists will report here today.

12 Aug 2014

New way to protect crops from insect plagues in safe and environmentally responsible way

Using spider toxins to study the proteins that let nerve cells send out electrical signals, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have stumbled upon a biological tactic that may offer a new way to protect crops from insect plagues in a safe and environmentally responsible way.

11 Jul 2014

Wake Forest Baptist Physician offers tips to prevent bites and rashes in summer

When summer rolls around, nothing beats soaking up the rays, hiking in a forest or playing Frisbee with the family … until a mosquito, bee or poisonous plant ruins the fun.

28 Jun 2014

New research collaboration aims to develop better therapies for autoimmune diseases

Seattle Children's Research Institute and biotechnology company Kineta, Inc. today launched the Alliance for Children's Therapeutics (ACT), a first-of-its-kind pediatric research and funding collaboration designed to speed development of new medications for children and teens with lupus nephritis and other autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

11 Jun 2014

Researchers take another promising step toward developing universal antidote for snakebite

A team of researchers, led by Dr. Matthew Lewin of the California Academy of Sciences and Dr. Stephen P. Samuel of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland has taken another promising step toward developing a universal antidote for snakebite.

29 May 2014

Researchers show how cone snails venom inhibits neuronal calcium channels to reduce neuropathic pain

The venom from marine cone snails, used to immobilize prey, contains numerous peptides called conotoxins, some of which can act as painkillers in mammals. A recent study in The Journal of General Physiology provides new insight into the mechanisms by which one conotoxin, Vc1.1, inhibits pain.

15 May 2014

Watch out for snakes as weather warms, warns UAB emergency medicine specialist

With the first warm weekend of spring, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital saw its first snakebite.

26 Apr 2014

Cedars-Sinai researchers develop unique imaging device to "light up" malignant brain tumors

Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and Department of Neurosurgery have developed a unique, compact, relatively inexpensive imaging device to "light up" malignant brain tumors and other cancers.

27 Feb 2014

Mutations in small proteins that help convey electrical signals may influence nerve health

Mutations in small proteins that help convey electrical signals throughout the body may have a surprisingly large effect on health, according to results of a new Johns Hopkins study study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December using spider, scorpion and sea anemone venom.

7 Jan 2014

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA-both within the bloodstream and on the skin. Nanoengineers from the University of California, San Diego described the safety and efficacy of this nanosponge vaccine in the December 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

2 Dec 2013

Allergy shots for insect stings decreases anxiety and depression

Stinging insects are everywhere making them nearly inescapable. The thought of being stung can cause depression and anxiety for the two million Americans that are allergic to their venom.

8 Nov 2013