Researchers are analyzing the venom of a Queensland cone snail for the development of new drugs for pain and cancer treatments.
"Cone snail venom is known to contain toxins proven to be valuable drug leads," Paul Alewood, a professor at the University of Queenland's (UQ) Institute for Molecular Bioscience, said in a press release. "This study gives the first-ever snapshot of the toxins that exist in the venom of a single cone snail.
"Cone snail venoms are a complex cocktail of many chemicals and most of these toxins have been overlooked in the past."
In the cone snail's venom, they found thousands of peptide toxins and molecules thanks to a new method of biochemical analysis.
"We also discovered six original 'frameworks' - 3D-shaped molecules suitable as drug leads - which we expect will support drug development in the near future," Alewood said in the release. "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.
"We anticipate there are a lot more interesting molecules to be found in the venom of other species, and we are keen to explore these using our new approach."
The researchers published their work in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"This new method of analysis can also be used in research on other animal venoms, or in related fields, such as studying protein expression from cells," Alewood said. "It will help us gain a better understanding of biology, look for disease patterns or discover potential new drugs."
