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Blowfly protein to treat chemical exposure

A protein found in blowflies that can resist a popular insecticide used by Australian sheep farmers may be the key to treating and curing victims of chemical attacks used in modern warfare.

Organophosphates, a commonly used insecticide designed to block the nerve signals of the Australian blowfly has become less effective over recent years due to the common insect building up a resistance to it.

Researchers have extracted a organophosphate resistant protein from the blowfly and engineered it so that large amounts of the protein could be produced to potentially treat and cure individuals exposed to the deadly chemical.

Read more at Australian National University

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