A new piece of technology will help researchers speed up efforts to combat the impact of dangerous jellyfish in North Queensland.
The $25,000 bead mill homogeniser has been funded by the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation.
It will allow James Cook University’s jellyfish expert Prof Jamie Seymour and PhD candidate Emily O’Hara to extract venom in greater quantities than before.
“Far North Queensland is home to two of the most dangerous species of jellyfish in the world – the big box jellyfish possesses venom capable of killing an adult human in less than two minutes,” Ms O’Hara said.
“The Irukandji jellyfish inflicts a torturous condition on its victims which presents as severe muscle pains, vomiting and has previously caused fatalities through intercranial haemorrhages.”
Ms O’Hara said the team at JCU’s Tropical Australian Stinger Research Unit, was currently the only organisation in Australia that regularly collected and extracted big box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) venom and the only scientists in the world extracting venom from Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi).
They supplied both venoms for in-house and external researchers as well as for anti-venom production.
“More technologically advanced equipment is now available which maintains the venom at a stable cold temperature throughout the extraction process,” Ms O’Hara said.
“This will yield more biologically intact venom, increasing the medical accuracy of all associated research.”
Foundation CEO Gina Hogan said Ms O’Hara’s grant formed part of $218,000 funded by the Foundation in 2023 – its second annual research funding round.
