Professor Paul Alewood, from the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience says that the toxins found in the cone snail’s venom could prove to be valuable leads for a wide range of drugs. Though snails can be a nuisance for humans, especially for farmers, there is this specific species of snail that could be the answer or cure to some serious ailments.
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Victims, however, don’t seem to experience too much pain as the venom of these cone snails contains an analgesic agent.
“We expect these newly discovered frameworks will also lead to new medications, which can be used to treat pain, cancer and a range of other diseases”, Alewood said of the findings published in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Thousands of new peptide toxins hidden deep within the venom of one type of Queensland sea cone snail have been discovered by Australian researchers. Alewood believes they will discover even more molecules in the venom of other species of cone snails, and he is looking forward to analyze them using the new methods.
Although previous research has proven that cone snail venom has pharmaceutical properties, the new study is the first one that analyzes the toxins in details.
The past two decades have seen scientists discover a total of 25 frameworks that have eventually resulted in the development of drug leads or drugs for combating diseases. It led to the unearthing of the maximum peptides ever found in a cone snail’s venom. With 700 different species, the possibilities of more drug leads is promising. The team used biochemical and bioinformatics tools to find 3,305 toxin sequences classified into 9 existing superfamilies as well as 16 new superfamilies – all found in a single specimen of Conus.
Although the cone snail is poisonous, scientists have been researching it for quite some time for its medicinal purposes and pain relief solutions.
Evidence of venom being used for “cures” and treatments dates back thousands of years.
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The secret is controlling it to only target what you want. A few may, too, be harboring incredibly powerful venom. There is potential for several new medicines from this one discovery. The cure (or at least better treatment) for devastating diseases and cancers could rest in a shell off the coast of Australia.
