Scorpion venom may help tumour care
Updated on 15 July 2007
Coating tumours with a "paint" derived from scorpion venom could improve the treatment of a wide range of cancers, say researchers.
The glowing paint can distinguish cancer from healthy tissue even when it affects only a few hundred cells.
Scientists from Seattle Children's Hospital and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington believe in future it will help to guide the hands of surgeons and result in more successful outcomes.
The substance used is chlorotoxin, a chemical found in the poison from scorpion stings, which attaches itself to cancer cells.
By joining chlorotoxin to the fluorescent marker Cy5.5, researchers in the US 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% 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 (MRI) scan, which only works if more than one million cancer cells are present.
In tests on mice, the scientists showed they could light up brain tumours as small as one millimetre in diameter.
The researchers are now preparing for clinical trials involving human patients. They say the technique could be deployed in operating theatres in as little as 18 months.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
