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Scorpions Help Fight Cancer ...
One of earth’s deadliest killers, the scorpion, may soon be used to help fight a wide range of cancers
According to researchers a glowing 'paint' derived from scorpion venom and applied to tumours, can help distinguish cancer from healthy tissue, even when it affects only a few hundred cells.
The substance is chlorotoxin, a chemical found in scorpion stings, which attaches itself to cancer cells.
It is hoped that this new marker will help guide surgeons and result in more successful treatments.
By joining chlorotoxin to a fluorescent marker, researchers in the U.S. have created a molecular 'beacon' that lights up tumours.
Painting a suspect area with the compound makes it easier for surgeons to remove every bit of cancer without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
This is especially important in the brain, where 80 per cent of recurring malignant tumours appear at the edges of the surgical site.
The paint marks out tumours with at least 500 times more sensitivity than a magnetic resonance imaging scan.
In tests on mice, it highlighted brain tumours as small as
one millimetre in diameter.
Researchers are now preparing for human clinical trials. They say the technique
could be used in operating theatres in as little as 18 months.
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