From poison to potion: Toxins turned into life-saving drugs
Photos: Poison becoming potions
Pufferfish – This spiky fish's toxin may treat chronic pain. Researchers have found that the toxin is 3,000 times more potent than the painkiller morphine.
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Photos: Poison becoming potions
Sharks – Shark skin could help reduce the number of urinary tract infections that plague around a quarter of all patients who use urinary catheters for a week or more.
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Photos: Poison becoming potions
Ticks – Ticks could be beneficial for patients whose vessels are in danger of closing up from blood clots. A potential drug is being developed using ticks' saliva that is 70 times more potent than the natural blood-thinning agent found in a human body.
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Photos: Poison becoming potions
Sea anemones – The toxin anemones release to discourage predators contains a compound that affects certain potassium channels in the body. Antibodies that bind to these channels may be responsible for some autoimmune conditions and targeting just this defect may provide a more effective treatment.
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Photos: Poison becoming potions
Waxy monkey frog – The Waxy Monkey frog's venom could control blood vessel growth, known as angiogenesis, which may be useful in starving cancer cells.
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