Scorpion Venom fights Cancer!

About 17,000 Americans are diagnosed with gliomas each year. The tumors are extremely aggressive and deadly, with only eight percent of patients surviving two years and three percent surviving five years from time of diagnosis. Even when surgery is performed to remove a glioma, some cancer cells invariably remain behind and proliferate.

The key ingredient is TM-601, a synthetic version of a peptide, or protein particle that naturally occurs in the venom of the Giant Yellow Israeli scorpion.

TM-601 binds to glioma cells and has an unusual ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier that blocks most substances from reaching brain tissue from the bloodstream.Currently, TM-601 primarily acts as a carrier to transport radioactive iodine to glioma cells, although there are data to suggest that it may also slow down the growth of tumor cells. If studies continue to confirm this, we may be able to use it in conjunction with other approach to be safe, a larger Phase II trial is underway to assess the effectiveness of multiple doses.