Honeybee Venom Kills Cancer Cells
A new potential treatment for breast cancer has emerged from a surprising place. Honeybee venom, according to research from the Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research, is capable of killing cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.
The venom is able to fight the cells thanks to the key component melittin, which researchers are now attempting to synthesise in order to move forward in trialling the treatment.
But while the potential uses of the venom are exciting, the widespread application of the treatment is still years off, according to Group Leader of the Cancer Epigentics Laboratory at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research Professor Pilar Blancafort. In this story, Blancafort discusses the research with producer Ryan Stanton, highlighting the most important aspects, while explaining where future research may take these exciting developments.