A Seattle doctor has found a way to make cancerous tumors glow during brain surgery using molecules from Israeli death-stalker scorpion venom. That’s right, Israeli death-stalker scorpion venom. James Olson, a physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and a researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has worked for about a decade to develop a product called Tumor Paint, NPR reports. Normally surgeons remove some good cells with the bad ones when they operate on a brain tumor because it’s impossible to tell them apart. But Tumor Paint bonds only with cancerous cells and glows when exposed to a special light. This is great news, especially for kids, because removing good brain cells can create health problems, like severe short-term memory loss. Doctors will start testing Tumor Paint on humans later this year. For now, check out this film about it from LA-based producer, Bert Klasey. — B. L.
Bringing Light | Bert Klasey, Chris Baron & James Allen Smith from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.
