Insecticide Developed from Spider Venom

The Blue Mountains funnel-web spider (Hadronyche versuta) – a large Australian spider with a bite that is deadly to humans and insects – is an ideal source of venom for research. The spider “cooperates” by rearing up in a fighting stance when provoked, making it relatively easy for researchers to aspirate venom directly from its fangs.

Chemtura Corp., a manufacturer of consumer and crop protection products and polymer additives including flame retardants, and Venomix Inc., an insecticide maker, are extending their two-year(insert) partnership.

The collaboration centers on the discovery that peptides contained in spider venom have insecticidal properties. Venomix has isolated and characterized a number of these peptides, which are lethal to insects but harmless to non-target species, including humans. One of these peptides, designated “hybrid,” is the object of the collaboration.

The first goal of the collaboration is to develop the “hybrid” peptide as a commercial insecticide. Longer term, the companies will collaborate to produce small, chemical molecules that “fit” the same receptor as the “hybrid” peptide. This is expected to lead to chemical pesticides with the same biological activity and safety profile as the “hybrid” peptide.

Venomix uses technology based on ground-breaking research conducted at the University of Connecticut. More than 50 unique, spider-venom peptides have been identified.

Source: www.wwj.com