A Possible Cure for Cancer

Vocabulary

Video

Transcript

Dr. Ciara Duffy, Scientist, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research:

Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women worldwide. And unfortunately for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, there is no clinically effective targeted therapy available.

And as a result, the subtype is associated with the worst outcomes.

Recently, interest has grown into the use of natural molecules to treat cancer, including venom from the European honeybee.

The aim of our research was to test whether this venom could be used to treat some of the most aggressive types of breast cancer.

I started by collecting honeybees from hives at the University of Western Australia, as well as populations from Ireland and England, and manually collected out the venom.

What we found is that honeybee venom is remarkably effective at killing triple-negative breast cancer cells at concentrations that do not harm normal cells.

We found that the majority of this anti-cancer effect is mediated by a small peptide in the venom called melittin, which enters the membranes and forms, holes or pores.

We investigated the mechanism of action of melittin and found that within minutes it is able to shut down the chemical messaging pathways that are essential for the growth and replication of cancer cells.

We also combined melittin with docetaxel chemotherapy and found that it can significantly reduce the growth of triple-negative breast cancer tumours in mice.

Future experiments will be required to formally assess the maximum tolerated doses and toxicities, as well as the optimum method of delivery of melittin.
However, it is our hope that this will aid in the development of a targeted therapy for the most aggressive types of breast cancer, which do not already have a targeted treatment option.

Questions

Bee, Honeybee. The most widespread cancer among women is lung cancer. True or false?

Wasp, Hornet. Until now, are there effective ways to treat and cure cancer?

Fly, Flies. In the report, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Oxford University have formulated an entirely new chemical compound to treat and cure cancer. Is this right or wrong?

Mosquito. Did Dr. Ciara Duffy synthesize a copy of Australian honeybee venom in her laboratory?

Fleas, Ticks, Mites. Was honeybee venom found to be effective or ineffective in fighting and destroying tumor cells?

Ladybug. They tested the bee venom on human test subjects (patients with cancer). Is this correct or incorrect? Did they simply observe the condition of the mice or did they conduct a full biochemical and physiological analysis?

Butterfly, Moth. Immediately after Dr. Duffy’s experimentation, will anti-cancer medication be available to treat cancer patients?
 
 
 
Ant, Termite. Is cancer a leading cause of mortality (in your country)?

Grasshopper. Has the situation been changing?

Bug, Beetle. What might cause cancer? Are certain groups more vulnerable to cancer?

Centipede. What might be the cure for cancer? What should people and governments do?

Spider, Tarantula, Black Widow. What might happen in the future?

Insect. Have you heard the sayings, “It was right under our noses.” Or “Now why didn’t I think of that?” Or “The botanist was so focused on the trees, he didn’t see the forest?” Or “KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid!”