“It Could Kill You, But It Might Just Cure You.”

This is one little critter that you do not want to come near, as its sting could potentially put you in a dangerous situation, be it heart or lung failure. Like its “brother”, the vicious viper, or its “sister”, a pretty looking cone snail, the scorpion shares a similar characteristic among the two predators and that is they use their deadly toxin to capture and immobilize their prey.

Being lethal creatures, the toxins secreted by these organisms may contain biologically active compounds that could be of beneficial use for humans. The process of genetic engineering and the culturing of bacterial cells could be the key thing in extracting the active compounds and using them to create new drugs. These drugs could have the potential to be used to cure cancers, relieve pain or treat diseases.

One study has shown that the venom from a scorpion can have anti-cancerous effects. Once injected into a cancer-infected human brain, the venom destroys the glioma cells responsible for the brain cancer and leaves behind the surrounding healthy cells. Although a scorpion signifies a possible threat to humans, the use of knowledge and science can reverse that to something that will save many lives.

Another study has revealed that the conotoxin of cone snails has the potential to act as a painkiller. It is believed that the painkiller can be as much as 10,000 times stronger than many current anaesthetics and is not addictive compared to some of those currently in use. This painkiller could replace morphine, or other anaesthetics used in hospitals, in the years to come.

Innovative medical and biological research still continues today with anticipation to treat many disorders and diseases. However, with the continuing changes in the environment and the capabilities organisms have in creating new and unknown types of cancers or viruses, new cures need to be discovered in order to become immune to these bugs. Humans need to be “aware” of their surroundings as many species of organisms, whether abundant, endangered or still to be identified, could be lost through human activities, and the potential remedies and drugs that could have been discovered would be destroyed.

By Yungfu Phuong 42006879 (Thursday AM)

Source:
Koerth-Baker, M & Mills, L 2008, Deadly critters that might save your life, news, 8 April, CNN.com International, viewed 9 August 2009,
(http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/04/08/deadly.animals/index.html)