Venom from bees, snakes or scorpions may become part of a new generation of cancer-fighting medication.

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come up with a way to target venom proteins directly to malignant cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells alone. This will help to significantly cut down on the side effects that have traditionally been associated with cancer treatments.

Peptides and proteins are present in this venom, which can attach to the membranes of cancer cells when separated from other components of the venom and can potentially block the spread of cancer.

Normal, healthy cells of the body die off after a certain period of time. Cancer cells, on the other hand, mutate and multiply continuously until a tumor is formed. Scientists involved in this study say bee venom can potentially put a halt on such cancer-cell multiplication.

Lead study author Dipanjan Pan, Ph.D., says that a substance in the venom of bees, called “melittin,” is capable of preventing cancer cells from multiplying. Since bees make very little venom, it’s difficult to extract it and separate it repeatedly for clinical use. For this reason, Pan and his colleagues synthesized melittin in a laboratory setting.

“We have safely used venom toxins in tiny nanometer-sized particles to treat breast cancer and melanoma cells in the laboratory. These particles, which are camouflaged from the immune system, take the toxin directly to the cancer cells, sparing normal tissue,” said Pan in a statement.

The report of the study’s findings was presented during the 248th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).