A Molecule in Honeybee Venom Destroys Breast Cancer Cells in the Lab, Study Shows

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:

A Molecule in Honeybee Venom Destroys Breast Cancer Cells in The Lab, Study Shows:

The study focussed(sic) on certain subtypes of breast cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is an extremely aggressive condition with limited treatment options.

TNBC accounts for up to 15 percent of all breast cancers. In many cases, its cells produce more of a molecule called EGFR than seen in normal cells. Previous attempts to develop treatments that specifically target this molecule have not worked, because they would also negatively affect healthy cells.

[...] Bees actually use melittin - the molecule that makes up half of their venom and makes their stings really hecking painful - to fight off their own pathogens. The insects produce this peptide not just in their venom, but in other tissues too, where it's expressed in response to infections.

[...] "The venom was extremely potent," said medical researcher Ciara Duffy from The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. "We found that melittin can completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes."

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