The Australian Funnel Web spider is rightly feared because for a long time no antidote for its venom existed. One of the problems was that its poison was so rare it only affected two species on planet Earth - mice and us humans. That severely restricted researchers testing ability, but eventually an antidote was forthcoming.
Now a Queensland research institute has made a valuable discovery which will help tame the epidemic of skin cancer which the Australian outdoor lifestyle fosters. A peptide has been extracted from the venom gland of the funnel web spider which has been found to kill melanoma in humans and it delivers almost no negative effects on surrounding healthy cells.
It will require extensive further research because it is unclear whether the benefit of this peptide comes from the spiders venom or its blood, or a mixture of both, but it does promise a whole new industry with spider breeding facilities where the venom will be milked to provide the base ingredient of a pharmaceutical product.
What has got researchers excited is the discovery that this new peptide also has the potential to eradicate the facial cancer that is killing off the Tasmanian Devil. Cancer free colonies have been established on mainland Australia to try and preserve the species, but the numbers in the Tasmanian bush are dwindling as the disease spreads to unaffected parts of the island state.
It has been said that Australia is the melanoma capital of the world. Our love of beach culture results in exposure to the sun and many still value a sun tanned skin and refuse to cover up on the hottest part of the day. Extensive advertising campaigns have persuaded school children to wear hats and school play areas are now screened but most people need to have " sun spots " treated by their GP's on a regular basis.
What is interesting is the conversion of a spider that has long been feared into the donor of a cure for a common problem that is killing a lot of people. The funnel web spider is unique to this country and we have been doing our best to exterminate it. Hopefully, this successful research will draw interest in the variety of deadly poisons found in both land and sea in this country. Most will have been researched to seek an antidote, but many may have untold wonders in other areas of science awaiting evaluation.
One of the problems facing world medicine is the growing tendency for disease to gain ascendency over antibiotics. It seems quite possible that plants and venoms that are unique to this country may hold the answer to a new discovery that may solve that problem. Finding a cure for melanoma from the venom of a spider shows that the impossible - is possible !
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