Academics carry out studies on venomous snake to cure cancer

DİYARBAKIR

A group of academics has conducted a series of fieldwork to identify the components of Wagner's viper venom in a bid to explore its potential applications in cancer treatments and biotechnology.

Professor Dr. Mehmet Zülfü Yıldız and his three colleagues carried out the studies within the scope of the “Proteomic Characterization of Wagner's Viper Venom and Investigation of its Potential Anticancer Effect” project supported by the Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK).

The group of academics seized the Wagner’s vipers with the intention of obtaining the venom samples in the field research performed in the provinces of Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Tunceli, Erzurum and Bingöl, which lasted for five days in total.

After the collection of venom samples, Wagner’s vipers, also known as "Montivipera wagneri" or "ocellate mountain viper," were released back to their habitats in the eastern and southeastern Anatolia region.

Indicating the details of the studies they pursued within the context of the project, Yıldız said, “Initially, we found the snakes and extracted the venom. After that, we will determine the substances of the venom which may be useful in treating cancer.”

Yıldız also filled in the details about the species of the venomous snake, along with shedding light on the benefits of snake venoms.

“Snake venom contains more than a hundred chemicals and has compounds that are beneficial for a number of illnesses. Since Wagner's viper is endemic to our nation, some research has been done on this species previously,” he explained.

As a final note, the professor emphasized that the team will proceed with the laboratory studies and carry out experiments on ovarian cancer cells as the next step following the identification of the venom’s substances that may be a remedy for cancer.