Bieber is an ASU professor of chemistry. He says that snake venom is a good tool because it targets very specific parts of the body. For example, one type of venom stops brain cells from communicating. Another type disintegrates muscle tissue. Most toxins in snake venom are proteins.
Proteins play vital roles in the operation of the human body.
Some proteins form structures like hair and muscle. Other proteins have distinct jobs. They make up antibodies that protect us against infectious disease, hormones that send instructions to body parts, and enzymes that promote chemical reactions. Virtually every chemical reaction in the cell occurs in the presence of a catalyst. Most catalysts are proteins.