![]() ![]() They looked for human cells that could survive the venom, and identified human factors that are required for the venom to cause its deadly reaction. The experts used CRISPR whole genome editing to investigate how the venom works. “Luckily, there was already a drug that could act on the pathway the venom uses to kill cells, and when we tried this drug as a venom antidote on mice, we found it could block the tissue scarring and pain related to jellyfish stings. “Using new CRISPR genome editing techniques we could quickly identify how this venom kills human cells.” “We were looking at how the venom works, to try to better understand how it causes pain,” said study senior author Professor Greg Neely. The researchers now hope to develop a topical application for humans. If a large enough dose of venom is delivered, the sting can cause cardiac arrest and death within minutes.Ī team of pain researchers was studying how the box jellyfish venom works when they uncovered a treatment that can block the symptoms of a box jellyfish sting if administered to the skin within 15 minutes of contact. ![]() This deadly creature has about 60 tentacles, and each contains millions of microscopic hooks filled with venom.Ī single sting by an Australian box jellyfish will cause necrosis of the skin and extreme pain. ![]() One Australian box jellyfish carries enough venom to kill more than 60 humans. There are three tentacles that are up to 10cm long at each of its four corners.In a breakthrough study using CRISPR genome editing technology, researchers at the University of Sydney have identified an antidote to the deadly sting of the Australian box jellyfish, which is one of the most venomous creatures in the world. “It has a transparent and colourless body with an average length of 1.5cm. “Pedalia, a flat pedal-shaped structure at the base of each tentacle that looks like a boat paddle, allows box jellyfish to produce strong thrusts when they contract their bodies. The species are considered deadly because their tentacles are covered in “biological booby traps known as nematocysts - tiny darts loaded with poison,” NOS said.īox jellyfish are fast swimmers with tentacles like boat paddles which help them hunt prey, namely shrimp, and “faster than other kinds of jellyfish,” the HKBU statement said. Credit: HKBUĪ cousin of the Tripedalia maipoensis, the Australian box jellyfish is considered the most venomous marine animal in the world, according to the National Ocean Service. The newly discovered species can be distinguished by differently shaped canals which let water into the bell membrane. “In the new species, the velarial canals are biforked into multi-branches, which distinguishes them from other species of the same genus,” HKBU said in a statement announcing the discovery. Inside the membranous and muscular sheet - a velarium - which constricts the opening of the bell, there are canals in box jellyfish that run along the bell margins and allow water inside. What distinguishes the Tripedalia maipoensis from other species of the same genus is the formation of internal canals. ![]() The highly venomous find was discovered in a brackish shrimp pond, but is believed to also inhabit an adjacent estuary and wider coastal waters. Qiu and his colleagues wrote in the journal article that the “new species represents the fourth described species of Tripedaliidae, and the first record of the family in Chinese coastal waters”. “Box jellyfish are a small group of cnidarians with only 49 species reported worldwide,” he said. “We believe that this species is also distributed in the adjacent waters of the Pearl River Estuary as the gei wais are connected to the estuary through a tidal channel. The highly venomous find was discovered in a brackish shrimp pond, locally called “gei wai”, in the summers of 2020 to 2022.īut lead researcher and HKBU professor of the Department of Biology Qiu Jianwen said it could also be spread more widely. Researchers confirmed with genetic analysis that it is a new species of the box jellyfish, and published their findings in the international journal Zoological Studies in March. Researchers from the Hong Kong Baptist University discovered the 24-eyed jellyfish - Tripedalia maipoensis - while collecting samples in 2022 in the Mai Po Nature Reserve. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus > ![]()
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