Gila monster saliva detects pancreatic tumors with 95% accuracy

A poisonous lizard's saliva may hold the key to detecting difficult-to-find pancreatic tumors, with scientists reporting a 95% success rate.

Pancreatic tumors, known as insulinomas, are rare growths that can cause serious health issues like fainting or seizures by lowering blood sugar levels. These tumors are often hard to detect due to their small size.

In the past, surgeons had to remove the entire pancreas to locate the tumor, but nowadays, patients are not operated on if the tumor's location is unknown.

A groundbreaking study by researchers from Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands has found that the saliva of the Gila monster, a venomous lizard native to the U.S. and Mexico, could be used to identify these tumors.

The protein in the Gila monster's saliva, which has been used in diabetes treatment to increase insulin production, binds to receptors in the pancreas. The researchers explored how this same protein could be used to detect insulinomas.

After modifying the protein to reduce side effects like low blood sugar and nausea, the team achieved a 95% success rate in tumor detection across 69 patients, compared to only 65% with current screening methods. All patients who underwent surgery for tumor removal fully recovered.

Lead researcher Marti Boss expressed confidence that this new method could replace current screening techniques, noting that patients who had lived with the tumors for decades were able to return to normal life after surgery.