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Deadly spider’s ‘highly toxic’ venom could save you from heart attacks in the near-future
Medical breakthroughs come from the darnedest places like the highly toxic venom of the very deadly and frankly terrifying funnel-web spider.
In Colorado, scientists have been investigating python hearts for their ability to radically remodel themselves and, potentially, teach us how to treat conditions like cardiac fibrosis. In Australia, theyre looking at spiders. At present, there is not a single drug to protect heart donor hearts or protect against heart attack. Until now&! Well, until the near future. Probably.
Heart disease is a global problem
Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia, says Dr Palpant, associate professor of cardiac physiology at the University of Queensland.
Its one of the leading causes of death in the United States, too, along with cancer and unintentional injury.
More than 10% of those who are hospitalized with a heart attack in Australia die as a direct result of it, he goes on, making advancements in treating heart disease an utmost priority for healthcare researchers.
Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease in the US, killing nearly 400,000 people annually. Americans have 800,000 heart attacks a year. So, any advancements made in Australia are highly relevant to people living in the US.
Scientists turn to deadly spider venom for solution to coronary heart disease
Dr Palpant says that a quarter of those who have a heart attack develop debilitating heart failure within a year, partly as a result of the damage the attack does to the heart.
A transplant is the only cure for heart failure, he says. But theres a severe worldwide shortage of donor hearts, partly due to the damage that occurs during the retrieval process.
Despite the huge socioeconomic burden of heart attack and heart failure, there is not a single drug to limit the loss of heart cells during an attack or to protect donor hearts.
His team hopes to change this, with a little help from the deadly funnel-web spider, which may be one of the most evil-looking creatures on the planet. Its venom is “highly toxic,” according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
But don’t let that put you off. Trials have gone well so far.
Venomous spider produces a peptide that prevents heart attack damage
Dr Palpant and his team have just received nearly A$18 million in funding.
They want to run a four-year human clinical trial to assess the potential of Hi1a, an amino acid chain (aka a peptide) produced by the Kgari funnel web spider, to prevent heart damage during a heart attack or donor heart procurement.
In animal models, Hi1a protects the heart from damage sustained due to lack of oxygen during a heart attack or donor heart retrieval, explains Professor Glenn King, from the universitys Institute for Molecular Bioscience.
If their study proves successful, it will improve patient survival and quality of life, dramatically expand the pool of donor hearts available for transplantation, and significantly reduce healthcare costs, he says.
Heart disease costs the United States economy about $219 billion every year, according to the CDC.
Earlier in 2024, the American Heart Association delivered a presidential advisory estimating that healthcare costs of cardiovascular risk factors are projected to triple between 2020 and 2050, from $400 billion to $1344 billion.
In other words, there is no better time to find ways to a) stop people from developing heart problems, and b) find ways to fix it.
