Sydney pain researchers may have discovered a way to block the deadly, painful effects of the box jellyfish venom using cholesterol medication.

One of the most venomous animals in the world, the Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) delivers a sting that can causes tissue necrosis, extreme pain and death within minutes from cardiac arrest.

It has enough venom to kill 60 humans, yet little is known about the molecular mechanism involved in its toxic effects, the University of Sydney researchers say in their study in Nature Communications.

By carrying out a whole-genome screen, they discovered that cholesterol depletion blocks the venom’s cytotoxicity.