Toxic snails and novel painkillers

Conotoxins from the predatory cone snail work even at very low levels to block nerve signals. Now, researchers in Germany have investigated the structures of one specific conotoxin with a view to developing the compound, or its derivatives, as a new type of painkiller. Despite being snail-derived, I assume they’d offer fast-acting relief nevertheless.

More details in my SpectroscopyNOW column today.