Looking at nature for a cure
All my life I have learned to appreciate the beauty of nature and to protect and love it. Still, I must admit I find nature mesmerizing but terrifying. Nature’s power is beyond unimaginable, the combination of air at different temperatures is the start of a tornado, rising temperatures cause icebergs to melt, and nature has already beat cancer. Evolution is something fascinating that allow a species to learn how to protect themselves and acquire advantageous traits. But why do they do this? Species face the challenge of natural selection, and like any organism, they want to survive. Humans, unlike nature, don’t face any natural pressure, which doesn’t allow our body to acquire any advantageous traits to beat the thousands of diseases and even less pass it on to our future generations. Dr. Jim Olson discover and acknowledged nature’s power and the result was astonishing.
Scorpions are tiny but dangerous creatures who have been evolving over millions of years. This long-time frame has allowed them to develop a mortal poison which travels to their prey’s brain and paralyzes them. The Israeli deathstalker scorpion produces peptides that attach to cancer cells but not to normal cells. Dr. Olson and his team linked this peptide to a “molecular flashlight” that when injected to a patient travels to the brain and glows up the tumor, this technology allows for surgeons to be able to remove the tumor and be sure that they have not left a cancerous cell behind. Tumor Paint will surely change and improve brain surgery and will help many surgeons around the world. Hopefully, this invention will help all those children with rare tumors who normally have slim chances of survival.
Tumor paint was just the first step for Dr. Olson team, knowing the power of optides they know their usage is just beginning. Mrs. Shannon Turnbaugh visit enlighten me, making me realize the power of a mini-protein in a creature that I viewed as dangerous. Project Violet has been successful in the creation of tumor paint, but they believe they can do much more. Currently, that is working on trying to figure out a way to attach a natural toxin to tumor paint to attack the tumor without harming healthy cells. If they achieve this, knowing that this is possible to nature is mindblowing. As a person who loves nature more than anything, realizing that nature can help cure cancer and has the power to cure many more diseases and help our community means everything, it makes me love nature even more.
Nature always has and will always mean a lot to me, and as someone who wants to do everything she can to save and protect it, this realization just reinforced my intention even more. Project Violet is fascinating to me not just because of their unconventional use of nature but as well as Dr. Olson motivation for this project, saving and curing those children with rare tumors, and I find that admirable and his project just remarkable. I wish Project Violet all the best, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for them.
