Caterpillar venom may be able to treat cancer in humans.
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'Puss caterpillars' are native to North America and are the most venomous insect in America. Owing to their fluffy, hairy bodies, these stinging caterpillars are often referred to as the 'toxic toupee'.
Even a slight touch can leave a long-lasting ache, hives, and irrations. The sting has been described as feeling similar to that of a box jellyfish.
But University of Queensland researchers believe the same venom that causes intense pain, could be used to kill cancer cells.
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The institute's findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on July 11, 2023.
"In terms of potential applications of this work - the kinds of things we think it could be useful for - are developing drug delivery strategies to get drugs inside cells where they need to work, and in engineering toxins that can selectively find and kill cancer cells and pathogens," Dr Andrew Walker told the ABC.
"We might be able to engineer these kinds of toxins to target cancer cells or to target pathogens while leaving human cells alone. That's ongoing work that I can see happening over the next 10 to 20 years."
The Institute of Molecular Bioscience has previously experimented with snake and spider venom as other possible cancer treatments.
Potential medicinal properties have been found in the venom of cone snails, funnel-web spiders, centipedes, and stonefish.