The world’s first Australian study uses funnel-web spider venom to protect the heart during heart attacks.
University of Queensland researchers have been awarded $17 million in federal government funding to conduct clinical trials.
Project leader Glenn King says the drug, which mimics the poison, has the potential to save thousands of lives every year and ‘dramatically improve’ the quality of life for heart attack survivors.
About 7,000 Australians die from a heart attack every year, and a total of 55,000 Australians have a seizure every year. Heart attacks are the leading cause of death worldwide.
The researchers discovered a peptide that protects the heart during a heart attack and also improves the viability of a donor heart.
Funnel webs have the Hi1a peptide for protection against predators, but in humans the peptide prevents heart and brain cells from dying. In this study, the spider peptide is synthesized in a laboratory.
The drug has already proven effective in treating stroke.
On Sunday, the federal Minister of Health announced that the government will allocate $17.8 million for development over a period of five years.
Australian researchers have created a drug using a molecule from the venom of funnel-web spiders. Image: supplied
University of Queensland researchers Nathan Palpant and Glenn King are leading the world’s first study. Image: supplied
“This investment will accelerate the development of the world’s first heart-protective drug, inspired by a molecule discovered in the venom of an Australian funnel-web spider,” said lead researcher Professor King.
‘This drug has the potential to not only save thousands of lives each year, but also to dramatically improve the quality of life of heart attack survivors by minimizing damage to their hearts.
“This government investment will support truly Australian innovation and ensure all clinical and economic benefits flow back to Australia.”
The next phases of the research include clinical trials of a miniaturized version of Hi1a to develop the first-ever drugs for heart attacks and heart transplants.
Researchers aim to bring the new treatment to market within a decade, and want first responders to carry it with them as an injection.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler praised the innovative researchers.
“Based on a molecule in the venom of an Australian funnel-web spider, this could save thousands of lives,” he said.
Professor Glenn King said the welcomed government investment will accelerate the development of the world’s first heart-protective drug
‘Heart attacks and cardiovascular disease are our biggest causes of death. These world firsts will give hope to thousands of Australians suffering from heart attack and heart failure.
“I am proud that the Albanian government is supporting Australian researchers to take this moonshot.” It has the potential to save lives and improve quality of life – not just for Australians, but around the world.”
When someone has a stroke, the brain becomes acidic, brain cells die, and brain damage occurs.
A similar process takes place on the muscles of the heart during a heart attack. The Hi1a peptide blocks a protein that would otherwise cause cells to die.
The effect of the Hi1a peptide may translate into helping a donated heart sustain itself longer while the organ is detached from a human body.
Drugs based on the peptide have been shown to be effective in stroke patients, hours after the onset of a stroke.
The Institute for Molecular Bioscience in Queensland is involved in the project and Australian bioscience company Infensa will commercialize the drug.
Funnel web venom is highly poisonous. Image: iStock
Venom from funnel webs kills people by engaging their nerves and firing repeatedly, leading to blood pressure and heart rate problems and high blood pressure. Without treatment, a bite can be fatal within 15 minutes.
A 2023 study found that none of the Border Ranges, Darling Downs, Southern Tree-Dwelling or Sydney funnel-webs were consistently aggressive towards potential predators.
An effective antidote was developed in the 1980s, but to this day scientists don’t have a complete picture of how long funnel webs live in the wild, how much they move, or how males search for females.