The genome of the charge, a potential weapon against cancer - The Mundo.es

used as lethal chemical weapon to capture prey and protect themselves from their enemies, but conveniently treaty, the king cobra venom can also become a powerful biomedical tool. An international team of scientists, who participated in the CSIC has managed sequencing the genome of this reptile, the first of snakes , as published in the journal PNAS.

is well known that the snake venom contains different types of proteins of interest to the health sector. In fact, today there are several drugs on the market (for example, to treat hypertension) which peptides were based on the venom of these reptiles. However, since they have cheapened the cost of genome sequencing technology (so far restricted to humans), the ability to treat and alleviate other diseases, such as cancer, are taking more force .

“In the venom of snakes there are certain components such as the disintegrin, which prevent the formation of blood vessels, helping to stop the process of metastasis. metastasis If unchecked, the tumor stops growing,” explains Libya Sanz, team member Juan José Calvete who participated in deciphering the genome of the King Cobra. “But then to say that you can cure cancer says a lot. Lo can alleviate” he stresses.

same and by chance, has published another study that deciphers the genome Burmese python , which is not poisonous, allowing to compare in a very short time only two genomes snakes in the world. “During its evolution, venomous snakes have developed glands in which specific genes have been transformed into toxins that have later formed their poisons. Know the mechanism by which a protein becomes a toxin, could allow in a future, play it in the lab and modify it instead of killing, help heal, “says Calvete.

Presumably, the final application in cancer patients take to get some time , because it is research that requires many years of study and high economic funding.

The king cobra is the longest venomous snakes. He lives in the forests of Southeast Asia and other snakes feeds. Toxins are neurotoxic venom type, ie, affect the nervous system center. Its bite is deadly.