Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Biological Toxins as Medicines
974 - Biological Toxins as Medicine
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel
Animals, plants and microbes can all produce deadly biological toxins. Botulinum from a bacterium; ricin from castor beans; and tetrodotoxin from Pufferfish are just a few examples.
What’s still amazing to me is how scientists have learned to tame these deadly chemicals into useful medical treatments.
The botulinum we mentioned is a neurotoxin that can cause life-threatening muscular paralysis, so it can paralyze muscles involved in breathing.
On the other hand, small doses are now used in medical and cosmetic treatments. People inject the toxin as BOTOX to smooth facial wrinkles. It can relieve the intensity and frequency of migraines by reducing nerve activation and reduce spasticity after strokes.
Snake venoms are also used in medical treatments. Mayan pit vipers produce anticoagulants that can dissolve clots after a stroke and resolve deep vein thrombosis.
Other pit viper toxins produce ACE inhibitors that can treat heart failure and high blood pressure. Some can even target cancer cells.
That’s also true for plant toxins. Ricin can kill in small amounts but in cancer treatments, it’s being attached to antibodies that deliver it to cancer cells. Taxol, also derived from plants, works in breast and ovarian cancer treatments.
And the list continues. Pufferfish toxins and cone snail venom are both non-addictive options for pain management. Without biomedical science, we wouldn’t know any of this. Let’s proudly support science and funding for lifesaving studies.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or listen to our podcast on your favorite podcast service.
