r/science • u/xarc13 • Sep 01 '15

Animal Science Brazilian wasp venom kills cancer cells by opening them up

http://phys.org/news/2015-09-brazilian-wasp-venom-cancer-cells.html
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u/Aaronmcom Sep 02 '15

what cells does this venom not kill?

7

u/rossiohead Sep 02 '15

From the first two sentences of the linked article, emphasis mine:

[The wasp] protects itself against predators by producing venom known to contain a powerful cancer-fighting ingredient. A Biophysical Journal study ... reveals exactly how the venom's toxin ... selectively kills cancer cells without harming normal cells.

So a component of the venom is harmless to non-cancerous cells.

2

u/XmasCarroll Sep 02 '15

According to the article, not exactly. It's just much more harmful to cancerous cells than it is to non-cancerous sells.