As many Canadians trade snow for surf over the Christmas break, few think about the painful surprises that can come with a beach vacation. Jellyfish, fire coral and the invasive lionfish can turn a sunny afternoon into a medical emergency, with pain strong enough to cut a trip short.
That problem is what led McGill University pain researcher Reza Sharif-Naeini to create StingMaster, a topical cream now used by divers and beachgoers around the world to treat potentially debilitating stings.
The breakthrough wasn’t part of his research agenda. It began on a plane.
“I was flipping through an in-flight magazine and there was an article about lionfish,” Sharif-Naeini said. “It has spines packed with venom and they cause excruciating pain.”
For divers and fishermen, he adds, “the sting doesn’t kill you, but you wish you were dead.”
The curiosity followed him off the flight.
“I got to Montreal in the lab and searched the literature and nobody had looked at the pain from this venom,” he said. “I thought, let’s try it.”