Monster Venom Detects Tumors with 95% Accuracy

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Dr. Monster

Monster venom can help detect tumors. Insulinomas are hard-to-find pancreatic tumors, unless you use gila monster (lizard) saliva.

• Substance in the saliva binds to insulinoma-specific GP1 receptors

• But the venom itself is unstable in humans

• Researchers developed a synthesized version, Extendin

Pairing Extendin with existing radioactive tracers lead to a 95% accuracy rate across 69 patient scans (compared to 65% in regular scans). Further research will review how similarly sourced enhancements can improve medical imaging.

Don’t bite

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