Colorado Professor Studies How Snake Venom Could Fight Cancer
OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow 02.19.20
The search to cure cancer has been a pressing issue for a very long time, and a team of scientists in Colorado now believe venom from venomous snakes could potentially hold the answer. Dr. Stephen Mackessy, a professor at the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Biology, says studies show certain venoms from different snakes can effectively attack cancer cells in humans in very unique ways.
Mackessy reportedly told CBS4 it made sense to look for a cure to cancer in compounds capable of killing animals and “wreaking havoc with living systems.”
His theory has been met with some challenges, but Mackessy assured snake venom has been used for decades to treat various ailments, except cancer. Enter professor Mackessy and his team.
Tanner Harvey, a Ph.D candidate, has focused a large amount of time researching viper venoms, in particular. This led to his discovery that at low doses, one specific viper venom can kill both breast cancer and colon cancer. “But it doesn’t kill melanoma,” Harvey said.
There were, however, other venoms in the study that did react strongly to melanoma.
“When you think about looking for a therapeutic drug, you don’t turn first to something like a venom or toxin as a source,” Mackessy explained.
The team’s toughest challenge now, lays in mixing the proper doses and finding which compounds can be combined with other remedies to kill cancer cells, all while not killing the patient at the same time.
This study remains in the initial phase, but it sounds like the team is on the brink of a major medical breakthrough.
When asked if students at UNC were capable of finding the cure to cancers, Mackessy said they were well on their way.
“You never really know what is going to come from a natural source, even something like a rattlesnake,” he said. “It may be, in fact, that these dangerous animals house in their venom something that one day may be lifesaving for you, or your family members.”
