Catalyst: Mar 9

This week on Catalyst how venom from Australia’s venomous species can kill you – but may also help save your life.

Australia is famous for its lethal animals. Alongside sharks and crocodiles, it also has a collection of 66 venomous species – including four of the top ten most deadly animals on the planet.

So why would the ABC’s resident nature nerd, Dr Ann Jones, embark on a dangerous journey coming face-to-face with Funnel Web spiders, Taipans and Irukandji?

The answer is that there’s one astonishing discovery she wants to unravel: scientists have found that elements of the deadly venoms that could kill us can be turned into pharmaceutical drugs that could save us. From protecting the heart and brain, to potentially curing multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.
Venom is made up of complex molecules that have evolved over millennia to target specific prey – some target the nervous system, others attack the tissue or circulatory system and because of this, it could offer wide-reaching medical applications.

Ann kicks off her adventure on Fraser Island with the Bugs & Drugs team from the University of Queensland to collect one of the world’s most venomous spiders – the Funnel Web. Its venom contains over 3000 molecules – and surprisingly only one of them is responsible for killing humans. But another – Hi1a – is showing promise in protecting the brain following a stroke and the heart following a heart attack.

With our myriad of venomous animals, Australian scientists are leading the world in exploring a promising new apothecary of drugs that could revolutionise modern medicine.

Production credits: Producer: David Symonds; Director: David Symonds; Associate Producer: Alice Goodman; Executive Producer: Penny Palmer; Head of Factual & Culture: Jennifer Collins.

8:30pm Tuesday on ABC