Researchers develop a possible antidote for box jellyfish stings

Abstract

Researchers in Australia have used CRISPR to learn how human cells interact with the potent venom of the box jellyfish and are testing a compound called 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin as a possible antidote. The team believes that box jellyfish venom, which has some 250 compounds in it, is a gold mine for understanding pain and tissue damage (Nat. Commun. 2019, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09681-1). The venom blows apart blood cells, drills through membranes, and can stop a beating heart in as little as 5 min. Finding a universal treatment for the box jellyfish sting has been difficult because their venom is not well understood, says Greg Neely, a neuroscientist at the University of Sydney who led the research. Current antidotes, including vinegar, heat and cold, and a remedy prepared in sheep, are not always effective, Neely says. Neely’s team discovered a host of proteins and cellular processes affected by box jellyfish venom via a