Professor Serdar Karakurt, a faculty member of the Department of Biochemistry at Selçuk University's Faculty of Science, has introduced a small, toxic scorpion species to the scientific community, named after him.
While conducting fieldwork in Türkiye's southeastern province of Şırnak with professor Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Karakurt discovered a previously unrecorded scorpion species. The two began academic research on the species, which they found to be a new addition to the literature.
The newly identified species, a member of the Scorpio genus, has been named "Scorpio Karakurdi." Karakurt told Anadolu Agency (AA) that this rare species is specific to the southeastern Anatolia region.
Karakurt expressed his joy at contributing the new species to scientific literature, explaining: “The new species is smaller in morphology than other types. As the morphology decreases, the venom content tends to increase in scorpions. Our analytical studies in the laboratory revealed the presence of many different compounds in the venom."
The Turkish academic emphasized the potential medical use of the venom, stating: “The venom contains unique proteins that can enter human cells. It actively affects the cells. Scorpion venom prevents the spread of diseases within protein channels, such as potassium channels in cells, ensuring controlled cell death. However, the primary impact is not from the venom itself but the active proteins within it.”
Karakurt also discussed a project funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) studying the effects of scorpion proteins on human cancers. "In this project, we examined the effects of proteins found in scorpion species on human colon cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer. We demonstrated that proteins from this species effectively contribute to colon cancer treatment," he said.
"We showed that it inhibits metastatic colon cancer cells and prevents the spread of the disease in tissue. Additionally, we found that it inhibited 95% of the viability of colon cancer cells," he added.
