Doctor Develops Drug With Scorpion Venom For Brain Tumor Treatment; Find Out How Tumor Paint Helps Surgeons

A Seattle doctor has recently developed a new drug called Tumor Paint with scorpion's sting, which may help treat brain tumor, BBC reports.

Disturbed by the difficulties of surgeries and its complications, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre pediatric oncologist and researcher Dr. Jim Olson in Seattle developed a new technique which expects to change the current method of brain tumor surgery. 

To help to glow the tumor cells, Tumor Paint pastes on the cells helping the surgeons to identify the tumor cells and healthy cells.

Manufactured by using peptides from the Deathstalker, which belonged to the scorpion species with a paralyzing sting, the paint helps surgeons to see the small particles of cancer cells and hundreds of cancer cells that cannot be seen in some cases.

According to Olson, the presence of Tumor Paint enables surgeons to clearly view all types of cells regardless of size.

Aside from Tumor Paint, the scientist is also following other new unconventional methods to beat cancer. Dr.Olson developed a project named Violet, which is the name of a cancer patient who donated her brain for research before her death.

"It's really hard to get molecules into the brain due to the blood-brain barrier, describing the membrane around blood vessels in the brain designed to keep out toxins. Most drugs that are made by the drug companies can't penetrate that barrier. The scorpion has found a way to get these proteins in the brain," Olson told ABC News.

Currently, surgery is the only one method used to remove the tumors in the brain and brain tumor surgery is considered one of the most complicated surgeries. 

 

 

Tags : Brain Tumor treatment brain tumor surgery scorpion venom