SYDNEY, Australia — The venom from European honeybees has been found to be “remarkably effective” at killing hard-to-treat aggressive breast cancer cells, according to researchers in Western Australia.
The study conducted by the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research used the venom from 312 honeybees and bumblebees to investigate its anti-cancer properties.
The team found that the venom and its major component melittin not only rapidly induced the death of “triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-enriched breast cancer cells,” it did so at concentrations that do not harm normal cells.
Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for 10 percent to 15 percent of all breast cancers, the institute stated. There is currently no clinically effective targeted treatments for TNBC.