Jodie Foster Python: First Snake Treated With Electrochemotherapy — SkimNews
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- Jodie Foster, a 15ft, 50kg reticulated python at Chester Zoo, became the first snake believed to receive electrochemotherapy after being diagnosed with a malignant fibrosarcoma in her jaw that returned following surgery and began invading her jawbone.
- Chester Zoo veterinary officer Ian Ashpole worked with University of Liverpool's Jose Alvarez Picornell to adapt the human cancer treatment for a snake, performing a 90-minute procedure that required two operating tables pushed together to accommodate the animal.
- Electrochemotherapy combines the cancer drug bleomycin with controlled electrical pulses that temporarily make cancer cells more permeable, allowing the drug to enter more effectively at the tumour site.
- A final check this week confirmed Jodie remained free of any signs of cancer returning, with zookeepers reporting she is 'back to her usual bright and feisty self' and striking, gripping and swallowing food without difficulty.
- The University of Liverpool team plans to formally publish details of the procedure so veterinary colleagues worldwide can 'learn from and build upon our approach,' marking what Picornell called 'a very special career highlight.'
Why it matters: The successful procedure gives veterinarians a documented protocol for treating cancer in reptiles, a group with few oncological options. With the team committing to publish the methodology, other zoos and exotic animal vets gain a replicable blueprint rather than a one-off result.
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