Australian funnel-web spider kills melanoma cells, research reveals

Ground breaking research has revealed venom from deadly Australian funnel-web spiders can kill melanoma cells while leaving healthy skin unharmed.

A study conducted by the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute found a peptide from the venom of a Darling Downs funnel-web, when chemically manipulated, had anti-cancer properties which can kill melanoma cancer cells. 

'We found the Australian funnel-web spider peptide was better at killing melanoma cancer cells and stopped them from spreading, and it also didn't have a toxic effect on healthy skin cells,' the Daily Mail quotes lead researcher Dr Maria Ikonomopulou as telling ABC News.  

The new cancer treatment was taken from the spider's venom gland but researchers are still trying to determine whether the peptide came from the spider's venom or blood.

Dr Ikonomopulou said she tested the peptide against a similar compound from a Brazilian spider, which also had anti-cancer properties, in laboratory experiments.

'When we tested the Australian spider peptide on melanoma cells in the laboratory, it killed a majority of them,' she told the Brisbane Times. 

The peptide had been tested on animals including mice and Australia's Tasmanian Devil.