Penn researchers use honeybee venom toxin to develop a new tool for studying hypertension
Friday, September 19, 2008 - 09:56
in Biology & Nature
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have modified a honeybee venom toxin so that it can be used as a tool to study the inner workings of ion channels that control heart rate and the recycling of salt in kidneys. In general, ion channels selectively allow the passage of small ions such as sodium, potassium, or calcium into and out of the cell.