Scientists at the University of Northern Colorado believe snake venom can be the key to finding the cure for cancer. Dr. Stephen Mackessy, professor at UNC’s School of Biology, has been analyzing the compound and proteins from the venom in different snakes, and is finding it can attack human cancer cells, reported CBS4.
Mackessy said it was logical to look for a possible cure for cancer in compounds that can kill animals and "wreak havoc with living systems."
The concept has been met with skepticism but Mackessy pointed out that snake venom has been used for decades to treat various ailments, just not cancer. That is where his lab comes in.
Not only snakes, Rattle snakes also but while rattlesnake venom can be deadly, it can be beneficial for treating cancer. “Rattlesnake venom contains disintegrins, which are an anti-cancer therapeutic,” Mackessy notes. The disintegrins counteract the cancer cells’ integrins, which Mackessy likens to molecular legs, which is what allow the disease to spread throughout a victim’s body. But they are not still used all around the world because they are still in the testing stage. The last usage of them was recorded in 2002.