Researchers at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in Perth, Australia found that a component of honeybee venom called melittin can completely destroy aggressive breast cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes in laboratory conditions. The study, published in the journal npj Precision Oncology in 2020, showed that a specific concentration of honeybee venom induced 100% cancer cell death in triple negative and HER2 enriched breast cancer cells, two of the most aggressive and difficult to treat forms of the disease, while having minimal effect on normal healthy cells. Melittin works by punching holes in cancer cell membranes, and within just 20 minutes it was also able to shut down the chemical signalling pathways that cancer cells rely on to grow and divide. The researchers tested venom from honeybees in Australia, Ireland, and England and found almost identical results across all populations, while bumblebee venom, which contains no melittin, was unable to cause cancer cell death even at very high concentrations. In mouse models, melittin combined with the chemotherapy drug docetaxel was also shown to be more effective at suppressing tumour growth than either treatment alone. Since the original study, the research team has engineered a targeted form of melittin that can be safely injected into the bloodstream in preclinical studies, with a single injection observed to cause cancer cell death within six hours and a therapeutic effect lasting up to a week. However, clinical trials in humans have not yet been conducted, and researchers caution that melittin in its raw form is highly toxic and must be carefully controlled to avoid damaging healthy tissue. The research remains in its early stages, but the team has described it as a promising foundation for future cancer treatments #reelheadline #pubity #viral