Scientists Want to Use Deadly Spider Venom to Prevent Brain Damage From Strokes

Margaret C. Hardy (@DrMaggieHardy)/The University of Queensland

The Australian funnel-web is one of the deadliest spiders in the world, but this poisonous predator may just hold the key to preventing brain damage caused by stroke.

Some 5 million people are left with brain damage every year after surviving a stroke, but a newly discovered protein found in the venom of the funnel-web spider (Hadronyche infensa) can protect neurons from cell death, even when administered hours after a stroke.

"We believe that we have, for the first time, found a way to minimise the effects of brain damage after a stroke," says venom researcher Glenn King from the University of Queensland in Australia.
"The small protein we discovered, Hi1a, blocks acid-sensing ion channels in the brain, which are key drivers of brain damage after stroke."
The team says if the trials are successful and that the protein proves to be safe, the treatment could one day be given via injections into the brain or via nasal delivery.

Source: Science Alert