Poisonous Venom May Stop Blood Clots
December 9, 2013; Posted by: webleed staff
Protein found from snake’s venom in development for an experimental drug aimed at preventing blood clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke.
The “hundred pacer” viper is one of the world’s most deadliest snakes. Who’d have thought their deadly venom could end up potentially saving someones life?
According to an article by Sheryl Ubelacker at The Canadian Press, the viper’s venom milked from the snake filters out one protein to create a drug called Anfibatide, which in human testing prevented blood clots from forming but didn’t prolong bleeding as is the case with some clot-busting drugs.
“The concept that we can harness something potentially poisonous in nature and turn it into a beneficial therapy is very exciting,” said Dr. Heyu Ni, a scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto involved in the drug’s development.
This just goes to show that some of the world’s most critical advances in medicine can come from some of the most unexpected places.
Read more about the effects and unexpected findings here.
Photo Credit – snakesoftaiwan.com
