One bite or sting can easily kill you, but scientists are working on learning the medical benefits of venom -- adding to the amazement we reptile keepers have for the beautiful venomous animals.

From Foxnews.com:

The University of Washington recently announced the latest breakthrough in this field, explaining how scorpion venom can be useful in treating brain cancer. Researchers found that chlorotoxin,an amino acid found in deathstalker scorpions, can slow the cancer's spread by blocking narrow channels in the brain through which malignant, shape-shifting cells can migrate.
[....]

(C)hlorotoxin is so successful because of its interaction with MMP-2, a common enzyme in humans notably associated with the body's response to infections. Highly invasive cancers often increase MMP-2's prevalence, (UW's Miqin Zhang) explained.
"We believe that many types of cancer actually express MMP-2," Zhang told FoxNews.com, causing the body to react and those gliomas to develop. "Chlorotoxin blocks MMP-2 or the expression of MMP-2, and thus blocks the foundation of the glioma,” Zhang told FoxNews.com.

One side note: despite being described as "Gila Monster spit," it's the venom that is helping diabetics in the form of the drug Byetta.