Outside the Box

Beautiful and deadly, the box jelly fish Chironex fleckeri carries venom that can kill in minutes. Yet despite causing widespread death of living cells, known as tissue necrosis, exactly how the venom works is a little mysterious. Recently scientists probed deeper into the genomes of human cells treated with the venom, finding genes involved in how we react to the toxins. Switching these genes ‘off’ – using a gene editing technique called CRISPR – granted long-lasting protection from the venom. Targeting the same molecular mechanisms with drugs, or potentially an antidote in the form of spray, may protect swimmers from C. fleckeri, common to waters around Australia and the Philippines. Similar lab techniques could now be used to investigate ‘molecular antidotes’ for other poisons.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image by Jamie Seymour, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine
• Research from the Neely Lab at The Dr. John and Anne Chong Lab for Functional Genomics, Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life & Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Image copyright held by the photographer
• Research published in Nature Communications, April 2019