New research from Australia suggests venom from honeybees can kill aggressive breast cancer cells with little to no effect on healthy ones.
Dr Ciara Duffy, from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and The University of Western Australia, used venom from 312 honeybees from Perth, Ireland and England for her study on cancer cells.
The serum was tested on aggressive cancers such as triple-negative breast cancer, which has few treatment options.
Dr Duffy said one specific concentration of the venom can kill cancer cells completely, while melittin can destroy the cells in just one hour.
Melittin, which produces the pain in honeybee venom, was also found to reduce the chemical messages of cancer cells essential to growth and division in just 20 minutes.
Photo by Charles J. Sharp