Bioscience Technology This Week #7: Fruit Flies Unlock the Mysteries of Diabetes

On this episode of Bioscience Technology This Week:

Fruit Fly Research Unlocks the Mysteries of Diabetes

For the first time, the fruit fly can be used to study how mutations associated with the development of diabetes affect the production and secretion of the vital hormone insulin. This advance is due to a new technique devised by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine that allows scientists to measure insulin levels in the insects with extremely high sensitivity and reproducibility.

Creating Cancer-fighting Drug from Venom

New research shows that bee, snake, or scorpion venom could form the basis of a new generation of cancer-fighting drugs. Scientists have devised a method for targeting venom proteins specifically to malignant cells while sparing healthy ones, which reduces or eliminates side effects that the toxins would otherwise cause.