Venom News and Research

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New findings on snake venom toxin hold promise for developing heart disease, cancer therapies

Researchers seeking to learn more about stroke by studying how the body responds to toxins in snake venom are this week releasing new findings that they hope will aid in the development of therapies for heart disease and, surprisingly, cancer. The Japanese team is reporting in a Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week" that they are optimistic that inhibiting a protein found on the surface of blood cells known as platelets may combat both irregular blood clotting and the spread of certain cancers throughout the body.

30 Jul 2010

Researchers collect venom from Antarctic octopus

Australian and international researchers have collected venom from octopuses in Antarctica for the first time, significantly advancing our understanding of the properties of venom as a potential resource for drug-development.

27 Jul 2010

New treatments to alleviate symptoms of muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia

Scientists researching a toxin extracted from the venom of the honey bee have used this to inform the design of new treatments to alleviate the symptoms of conditions such as muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia.

12 Jul 2010

UC Irvine researchers create "plastic antibodies"

UC Irvine researchers have developed the first "plastic antibodies" successfully employed in live organisms - stopping the spread of bee venom through the bloodstream of mice.

22 Jun 2010

Scientists develop plastic antibody that works in bloodstream of living animal

Scientists are reporting the first evidence that a plastic antibody - an artificial version of the proteins produced by the body's immune system to recognize and fight infections and foreign substances - works in the bloodstream of a living animal. The discovery, they suggest in a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, is an advance toward medical use of simple plastic particles custom tailored to fight an array of troublesome "antigens."

10 Jun 2010

New book highlights specific aspects of salivary gland development

Salivary glands are of utmost importance for several physiological functions ranging from the protection of teeth and surrounding soft tissues to the lubrication of the oral cavity, which is crucial for speech and perception of food taste.

5 Jun 2010

Canadian tourist bitten by a Katipo spider in New Zealand

A Canadian tourist suffered a serious heart inflammation called myocarditis after he was bitten by a poisonous spider when he went swimming nude in New Zealand.

13 May 2010

Is relief round the corner for multiple sclerosis patients in the form of bee stings?

A recent development can raise the hopes of many sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) – a dreaded, debilitating, fatal nerve disorder. Charity worker Sami Chugg, 45, claims to have overcome her condition after being stung by bees.

5 Apr 2010

Insight into scorpion venom may help understand diseases like pancreatitis

A Brazilian scorpion has provided researchers at North Carolina State University and East Carolina University insight into venom's effects on the ability of certain cells to release critical components. The findings may prove useful in understanding diseases like pancreatitis or in targeted drug delivery.

30 Mar 2010

Novel protein haditoxin in King Cobra's venom discovered

The King Cobra continues to weave its charm with researchers identifying a protein in its venom with the potential for new drug discovery and to advance understanding of disease mechanisms.

9 Mar 2010

Unexplained, sudden anemia: Brown recluse spider bite

As spring approaches and people return to outdoor activities, caution should be taken in areas of the country that are home to Loxosceles reclusa, also called the brown recluse spider. A new study from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital found that when patients present with sudden anemia, but the cause is elusive, the brown recluse spider should be part of the differential diagnosis, at least in parts of the nation where the spider is regularly found.

27 Feb 2010

New strategy against Botulinum toxin

A study involving the world's deadliest substance has yielded a new strategy to clear toxins from the body-which may lead to more efficient strategies against toxins that may be used in a bioterrorist event, as well as snake bites, scorpion stings, and even some important chronic diseases.

26 Feb 2010

Gene study could pave way for novel methods for plagues and other infectious diseases

An international consortium of scientists, including Universitat Aut-noma de Barcelona (UAB) researcher Deodoro Oliveira, have sequenced the genome of three species of parasitoid wasps of the genus Nasonia.

18 Feb 2010

Research suggests scorpion venom could be an alternative to morphine painkiller

Scorpion venom is notoriously poisonous ― but it might be used as an alternative to dangerous and addictive painkillers like morphine, a Tel Aviv University researcher claims.

17 Feb 2010

Tarantula venom protein promising for MD

University at Buffalo biophysicists have found a protein in tarantula venom that shows promise as a potential therapy for muscular dystrophy (MD). They have formed a start-up biotech company in Buffalo -- Rose Pharmaceuticals -- to advance the drug to clinical trials.

30 Dec 2009

Proteins from catfish venom glands could accelerate wound healing in humans

Lest anyone have concerns about attacks of killer catfish, rest assured that, at least in North America, these finned fatales use their venom mainly to defend themselves against predatory fish, though they can inflict a painful sting that many fishermen have suffered. In other parts of the world, some catfish do have extremely toxic venoms that can be deadly to humans.

11 Dec 2009

Cyber Monday was the best day ever, announces drugstore.com

drugstore.com, inc., a leading online retailer of health, beauty, vision, and pharmacy products, today announced that Cyber Monday was its best day ever as customer orders were the highest in company history.

2 Dec 2009

Contribution of glycosaminoglycans to skeletal abnormalities in patients with lysosomal storage diseases demonstrated

A group led by Dr. Dieter Br-mme at the University of British Columbia has demonstrated that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) contribute to skeletal abnormalities in patients with lysosomal storage diseases. Their report can be found in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

21 Oct 2009

Nutra Pharma to launch prescription analgesic for severe chronic pain treatment

Nutra Pharma Corp. (OTCBB: NPHC), a biotechnology company that is developing treatments for Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), HIV and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has announced today its intent to launch a prescription analgesic, Nyloxin Rx, for the treatment of severe (Stage 3) chronic pain.

7 Oct 2009

Huachansu may slow cancer progression

Huachansu, a Chinese medicine that comes from the dried venom secreted by the skin glands of toads, has tolerable toxicity levels, even at doses eight times those normally administered, and may slow disease progression in some cancer patients, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

25 Sep 2009