Venomous dragons combat high blood pressure

The winner of the Australian Academy of Science's 2011 Fenner Medal, Dr Bryan Fry, has found that venom from the Komodo dragon could lower your blood pressure.

“Previously it was thought there were only two lizard species in the world with venom,” explained Dr Fry.

His work has shown that, in fact, there are hundreds of venomous lizard species, including all Australian goannas and even the iconic Komodo dragon.

The predatory ecology of the Komodo dragon has been a subject of longstanding interest and considerable conjecture. Dr Fry’s team investigated the potential interplay between its biting mechanics, toxic bacteria in its mouth and its venom.

“We were able to demonstrate that the effects of deep wounds inflicted by Komodo dragons are caused by venom with toxic activities including anticoagulation and shock induction,” he said.

“We have already found some fantastically interesting compounds in Komodo dragon and other goanna venoms that profoundly lower the blood pressure and are also potent anticoagulants.

“There is a rich opportunity for discovering novel compounds with potential for use in drug design and development.” Dr Fry has scoured the globe to identify and study venomous creatures.

“I have successfully led expeditions to almost 40 countries spread across every continent,” he said.

“These have targeted every group of venomous animal including such disparate creatures as anemones, centipedes, insects, fish, frogs, lizards, jellyfish, octopuses, salamanders, scorpions, spiders, snakes and even venomous sharks.”

Dr Bryan Fry was awarded the Fenner Medal and presented his work at the Shine Dome in Canberra as part of the Academy’s annual Science at the Shine Dome conference. Speakers’ abstracts are available at: www.science.org.au/SATS2011/.