Cone Shell Toxin Offers New Hope For Chronic Pain Sufferers

[Guest guest]

Cone Shell Toxin Offers New Hope For Chronic Pain Sufferers

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/126698.php

Better chronic pain relief could be possible in the future, according

to research announced today by scientists at UQ's Queensland Brain

Institute.

Neuropathic and chronic pain is typically caused by injury to the

nerves, resulting in uncontrolled activation of pain pathways, and

affects one in five Australians of working age.

Neuroscientists at QBI have revealed that a toxin produced by a

lethal cone snail acts on a newly identified target and cell

signalling pathway that may play a critical role in regulating

chronic pain.

Professor and his team have identified specific peptides

in the cone shell toxin that may serve as the molecular framework for

novel " designer " conotoxins.

" For several years, it's been known that the remarkable properties of

cone shell toxins (conotoxins) hold tremendous promise for chronic

pain sufferers, and drugs that can combat or alleviate pain are a

holy grail in drug discovery, " Professor said.

The venom of Conus snails - marine animals found in several of the

world's oceans - is currently the subject of extensive scientific

investigation because its powerful analgesic properties are thought

to offer several distinct advantages over traditional therapeutic

treatments for neuropathic pain.

According to Professor , the prevailing scientific view until

now has been that conotoxins only targeted one group of pain

receptors.

However, in a paper published in the prestigious Journal of

Neuroscience, Professor , along with Professor Craik (UQ's

Institute for Molecular Bioscience ) and colleagues have described a

surprising new way of inhibiting pain sensors using mini-proteins

commonly found in cone snail venoms.

The paper invites scientists around the world to reconsider the

conventional model for how conotoxins act on target cells such as

sensory neurons, opening up what could be a paradigm shift in the

development of conotoxin-based therapeutics and analgesics.

Established in 2003, QBI is dedicated to understanding the molecular

basis of brain funcion and applying this knowledge to the development

of new therapeutics to treat brain and mental health disorders. QBI

was established as part of the Queensland Government's Smart State

initiative with the generous support of the Atlantic Philanthropies.

Please note: The scientific paper " Analgesic a-conotoxins inhibits N-

type calcium channels in rat sensory sensory neurons via GABAB

receptors " was published in the Journal of Neuroscience on October

23.