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Wasp venom can target and kill cancer cells, new study finds

Photo: Prof Mario Palma - Sao Paulo State University

Photo: Prof Mario Palma - Sao Paulo State University


Leeanna McLean
Digital Reporter

Thursday, September 3, 2015, 2:24 PM - A wasp species native to Brazil contains a powerful cancer-fighting agent, according to a new study.

The research published on September 1 in the Biophysical Journal, discovered the wasp Polybia Paulista has a toxin in their venom called MP1 which selectively kills cancer cells without harming normal cells.

MP1, which the insect uses to attack prey or defend itself, interacts with fat molecules that are abnormally distributed on the surface of cancer cells, creating gaping holes that allow molecules crucial for cell function to leak out, the study notes.

"Formed in only seconds, these large pores are big enough to allow critical molecules such as RNA and proteins to easily escape cells," co-senior study author Joao Ruggiero Neto of Sao Paulo State University in Brazil said in a release.

Labratory tests have shown that the toxin has the ability to slow the growth of several kinds of cancerous cells, including prostate, bladder cancer cells, as well as leukemia cells.


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"Cancer therapies that attack the lipid composition of the cell membrane would be an entirely new class of anti-cancer drugs," Dr. Paul Beales, a researcher from Leeds University said. "This could be useful in developing new combination therapies, where multiple drugs are used simultaneously to treat a cancer by attacking different parts of the cancer cells at the same time."

While the experimental therapy has only been tested on mice, researchers say more studies are needed to verify the method will work safely in humans.

Polybia Paulista is an aggressive wasp located in south-east Brazil.

Source: BBC | Study

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