Leveraging nematocysts toward human care

Abstract

The stinging cells of cnidarians contain nematocysts, which are a sophisticated ultra-fast injection system that can penetrate the skin immediately. This chapter will review two nematocyst-based biotechnology applications. The first hinders nematocyst discharge and thereby prevents jellyfish envenomation. The development of the inhibitory formulation and the demonstration of its effectiveness by clinical trials will be described. The second application utilizes isolated nematocysts as micro-devices for active drug delivery. The advantages of this novel approach will be demonstrated by the results of in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetics studies.