One Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) contains enough venom to kill at least 60 people. Finding an antidote to the venom, however, can save lives.
In a new study, scientists from Sydney were examining the Australian box jellyfish when they stumbled upon information that could lead to an antidote to its fatal venom. The research team successfully used the famous CRISPR gene editing tool to discover the antidote.
The study, which has been issued in the journal Nature Communications, can help experts develop not only the antidote to the venom, but also create non-addictive painkillers for people with chronic pain.
The Australian Box Jellyfish Is Deadly And Dangerous
The deadly box jellyfish can be found in the coastal waters of Australia and the Philippines. These aquatic animals are deemed dangerous because of their deadly sting.
A single sting from the Australian box jellyfish can cause excruciating pain, and with enough venom, the sting can even lead to cardiac arrest then death. The venom is in the jellyfish's 60 tentacles, which carry millions of microscopic hooks. These tentacles can grow up to three meters long.
Unlike most jellyfish, these aquatic species not only float, but they actively swim at a rate of 7.5 kilometers per hour (5 miles per hour) when they are hunting small fish and prawn in shallow waters.
Moreover, there are two types of box jellyfish, namely the Chironex fleckeri and the Irukandji. The Chironex fleckeri is the larger of the two species.
"We studied the biggest, most venomous and scary one," Prof. Greg Neely of University of Sydney, one of the lead researchers of the study, said. "Our drug works on the big beast. We don't know yet if it works on other jellyfish, but we know it works on the most-deadly one."
Finding The Antidote To Australian Box Jellyfish Sting Using CRISPR
Prof. Neely and his colleagues examined jellyfish venom collected by Jamie Seymour of James Cook University off the waters of Cairns in Australia.
Using the CRISPR gene editing tool, the researchers took a vat of millions of human cells and knocked out a different human gene in each one. Afterward, they added jellyfish venom to the sample and looked for cells that survived. The jellyfish venom is so deadly that it can kill cells at high doses.
Dr. Raymond (Man-Tat) Lau, the lead author of the study, explained that the jellyfish venom pathway they identified required cholesterol. Since there are a lot of drugs that target cholesterol, the researchers were able to use these available medicines to block the jellyfish venom pathway.
Dr. Lau said they took one of those anti-cholesterol drugs that are safe for human use and used it against the venom. It worked.
If the antidote is administered to the skin within 15 minutes of being stung by the jellyfish, it can immediately block the symptoms of the sting. The drug can stop the necrosis, skin scarring, and pain caused by the sting, said Prof. Neely.
However, the researchers have yet to determine whether the drug can stop a heart attack. This will need more research and funding in the future. Meanwhile, Prof. Neely and Dr. Lau are currently looking for potential partners to work on making the jellyfish venom medicine available to the public.
