Heart attack? Funnel web spiders coming to the rescue - News Nation USA

Experiments with beating human heart cells has led to a drug candidate – developed from a molecule found in the venom of the Fraser Island funnel web spider  – can “prevent damage caused by a heart attack and extend the life of donor hearts used for organ transplants”.

“Despite decades of research, no one has been able to develop a drug that stops this death signal in heart cells, which is one of the reasons why heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the world,” said Dr Palpant, from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience.

The researchers tested a small protein called Hi1a (found in funnel web venom) on beating human heart cells exposed to heart attack stresses.

The Hi1a protein blocked acid-sensing ion channels in the heart, which meant the death message was blocked, cell death was reduced, and heart-cell survival was improved.

“Treating hearts with Hi1a and reducing cell death will increase how far the heart can be transported and improve the likelihood of a successful transplant,” he said.

Professor King said it made sense to test Hi1a on heart cells, “because like the brain, the heart is one of the most sensitive organs in the body to the loss of blood flow and lack of oxygen”.