Treating Cancer with Venom

7 years ago
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A research team has developed a new cancer treatment using venom from bees and other creatures.

Dr. Dipanjan Pan and his team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign presented their findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco.

Venom from bees, snakes and scorpions contains proteins and peptides that can attach to cancer cells and block tumor growth. Pan and his team created synthetic venom and injected it into nanoparticles, small containers with big benefits. The nanoparticles deliver the venom directly to cancer cells, sparing the patient the often dangerous side effects of natural venom.