Venomous Australian Sea Anemone May Lead to Life-saving Drugs
Published:06 Feb.2022 Source:Queensland University of Technology
An entirely new toxic compound found in an Australian tropical sea anemone is being analysed as a potential new drug therapy, after it was discovered by biomolecular scientists during investigation of the species' multiple venoms.
QUT PhD researcher Lauren Ashwood has studied sea anemones' venom makeup extensively, in particular, Telmatactis stephensoni a reef-based sea anemone that can grow from 8 to 10 cm. Ms Ashwood found that this species produced different venoms for biological functions -- defence, predation, and digestion -- and that the toxins were located at sites that corresponded to their function.