bee venom cure cancer 2
A Treatment for Cancer, 2
Vocabulary
| bee | collect (2) | sting/stung/stung |
| dissect | research | breakthrough |
| secret | sound (2) | make/made/made |
| venom | spring (2) | productive |
| pollen | pollinator | produce (2) |
| pain | plant (2) | get in the way |
| way | form (2) | life-saving |
| fight | institute | aggressive |
| triple | effective | remarkable |
| inject | discover | quadruple |
| cell | synthetic | bumblebee |
| harm | extract | component |
| hive | explain | concentration |
| way | replicate | shut down |
| gland | essential | shut/shut/shut |
| tumor | pathway | grow/grew/grown (2) |
| hero | comprise | cancer (2) |
| double | version | treatment |
| anti- | minority | mouse/mice |
| boost | majority | do/did/done |
| save (2) | play its part |
Video
Transcript
News Anchor: “They can sting. Make honey. But could they also kill cancer?
Tonight the honeybee is at the center of a breakthrough: a young, Australian researcher discovering the secret power of their venom.
They’re the sounds of spring. But these productive pollinators of plants can produce painful — even deadly — stings, if humans get in their way.
That same venom could also be life-saving in the fight against aggressive forms of breast cancer.
Dr. Ciara Duffy, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research: “Honeybee venom is remarkably effective at killing triple-negative breast cancer cells, at concentrations that do not harm normal cells.”
Researchers in Perth collected venom from hundreds of European honeybees and bumblebees from hives in WA (Western Australia), Ireland and England.
The venom glands were dissected from the bees and placed into a machine to extract the venom. It was then injected into tumor cells in the lab.
Dr. Ciara Duffy, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research: “Within minutes, it is able to shut down the chemical messaging pathways that are essential for the growth and replication of cancer cells.”
Venom from the bumblebee didn’t produce the same effects. The active component, melitten which comprises half of the honeybee venom was the hero, after it was reproduced synthetically. That version explains the majority of the anti-cancer effects.
In mice, both melitten and a commonly used chemotherapy boosted the power of treatment.
Much more testing needs to be done, before nature can play its part in saving lives.
Questions
Bee, Honeybee, Bumblebee. Honeybee are very versatile creatures. True or false?
Wasp, Hornet. In the report, honeybee venom is being developed as a bioweapon. Is this right or wrong?
Fly, Flies. Have old professors pioneered the study of honeybee venom as a treatment against cancer?
Mosquito. As well as destroying tumor (cancer) cells, does the bee venom harm ordinary cells?
Fleas. Mites, Ticks The venom came honeybees and bumblebees from United States and Canada. Is this correct or incorrect?
Ladybug. Did the scientists make the bees sting the cancer cells directly? Did the treatment take a long time to take effect?
Insect. All bee venom works equally well. Yes or no?
Butterfly, Moth. Immediately after Dr. Duffy’s experimentation, will anti-cancer medication be available to treat cancer patients?
Ant, Termite. Are people in your country concerned about cancer? Is cancer a leading cause of mortality?
Grasshopper, Cricket. Has the situation been changing?
Bug, Beetle. What might cause cancer? Are certain groups more vulnerable to cancer?
Centipede. What might be the cure for cancer? What should people and governments do?
Spider, Tarantula, Black Widow. What might happen in the future?
