Power of SUNY

UB Discovers Use of Tarantula Venom for Therapy

In Sept. 2010, University at Buffalo biophysicists who are testing a protein found in tarantula venom as a potential therapy for muscular dystrophy received funding to support for their work.

The Children's Guild Foundation gave $125,000 to Frederick Sachs, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, and his team, which is seeking to advance the peptide -- called GsMTx4 -- to clinical trials and ultimately to gain FDA approval for use of the drug in humans.

The FDA has already approved it as an orphan drug for muscular dystrophy.

The team discovered the peptide -- which is protected by a U.S. patent awarded to UB -- about 15 years ago.