Who would have imagined that this venomous lizard could actually provide humans with an essential ingredient that helps type 2 diabetics maintain healthy blood sugar levels and lose weight? And through proteins in its saliva, nonetheless.
The Gila monster is one of two venomous lizards in the world, located in the Southwest of the United States and in Mexico. Although posing little threat to humans due to its extremely sluggish movements, its venom (when released through its salivary glands through chewing) causes edema and a sudden drop in blood pressure.
“Over the past decade, researchers have isolated over a dozen proteins and individual toxins from the lizard’s saliva. One of these, exendin-4, was found to be almost 50 percent identical to a hormone found in the human digestive tract that boosts the production of insulin when blood sugar levels spike” (Servoss). “The endangered lizard's poison stimulates the body's production of insulin, a hormone that helps cells process blood sugar. It can prevent blood sugar levels from dipping perilously low, or stop it from spiking and causing damage to the liver, kidneys, eyes and limbs” (“A Hormone…”). While this medication described is based off of the saliva (because it was only 50 percent identical) and not directly taken from the venomous creature, the studies and findings of this particular protein (exendin-4) within the saliva was the main starting points in determining the correct medication. Byetta (the FDA approved medication) is a synthetic form of the said protein secreted from the Gila monsters teeth. This medication was FDA approved in 2005, when a three-year study on the synthetic version – renamed exenatide – “showed that it helped patients with type 2 diabetes maintain healthy blood sugar levels and lose weight” (Servoss). While insulin injections have proven to be effective for this disease, this new drug has provided people with a less stressful application piece, where the drug will remain in the body for a longer period of time, allowing the patient to not have to inject the drug quite so much and with much more ease. More recent studies have even been able to find that this drug is helping non-diabetic patients lose weight as well. With this new discovery, people have reported losing much more weight with this drug than with other weight loss supplements they’ve used.
While it was only a few years back that this drug Byetta was established, it was during the early 1990s at the Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Center in New York that endocrinologist John Eng discovered the active ingredient in Byetta, called exenatide, while studying a sample of Gila monster saliva (Hammons). Dr. Eng was known for testing animal subjects in hopes of identifies hormones that may have benefits to humans or to the advancement of science. When discovering this hormone that could potentially benefit diabetics and the input of drugs into their bodies, he intently studied this protein and went to the Veterans Administration (VA) for support. The VA, however, denied their support and did not patent his idea because “it did not address a veteran-specific ailment, such as spinal cord damage or some other combat injury” (“A Hormone…”). Knowing this, Eng had to work that much harder to get someone to patent and look upon his discovery in hopes of accomplishing something with this newly discovered protein.
Personally, I find this discovery and new drug so fascinating because of where it originated from. In some random way, scientists tested the saliva of a Gila monster (something I wonder how they ever came about) and ended up finding this useful protein. I think it is remarkable that it so closely resembles a human protein that helps with blood sugar levels. I was drawn to this article because of the fact that a venomous animal who is becoming endangered has something to provide humans with a disease as big as diabetes is really wonderful. The advancement with this discovery might then, in turn, cause scientists to research other animals and perhaps discover other things that will be greatly useful for diseases that humans are facing in our world today. But because of the growing endangerment of many animals (including the Gila monster), it might be extremely detrimental for humans. If we begin to lose certain animals, than we will ultimately be losing discoveries and medications scientists have found (like Byetta). We must somehow find a way to savor these animals, if you will, and protect them from becoming completely extinct.
Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States, and it has been increasingly raised as the obesity levels have skyrocketed. This drug will not only help these people by lowering and improving their blood sugar levels and weight, but it will allow for improvement on previous diabetes drugs (such as insulin injections), because it is an advancement on it. This discovery will greatly impact humans in the United States and around the rest of the world because with the decrease in diabetes and obesity, our society might become less economically unstable and start working towards bettering our society as a whole – physically, economically, and socially.
This discovery clearly demonstrates a scientific finding because of the use of experimentation of an animal’s proteins and salivary substances. As dictionary.com states, science is the “systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation” (“science”). Using this term, this discovery that Dr. John Eng found would absolutely be considered science because not only did it ultimately prove successful in helping people with a disease to live longer and healthier, but he identified the knowledge of a new protein through observation and experimentation of the saliva of a Gila monster.
As seen through the readings and discussions we have done in class, many of the scientists and researchers from past times have found new discoveries through intense experimentations and observations of several things. Many were also rejected by others (whether it be society, the church, or other scientists) and their research was often supported by few people. People like Paracelsus and Newton had research that wasn’t supported because it lacked information or went against what people thought. Just like these scientists, Dr. John Eng was rejected when he found his discovery because there wasn’t enough evidence and information to support and prove that his findings would come of anything.
Works Cited
“A Hormone That Treats Diabetes Better Than Any Other Medicine." Diabetes In Control. A free weekly diabetes newsletter for Medical Professionals. 18 Sept. 2007. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.
Hammons, Steve. "American Chronicle | New diabetes medicine from Gila monster saliva causes excitement ." American Chronicle . 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.
"science." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 04 Nov. 2009.
Servoss, Jeff. "Treating Disease With Nature’s Deadliest Toxins | Unusual Organisms | DISCOVER Magazine." Science and Technology News, Science Articles | Discover Magazine. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.
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