Conotoxins: How a deadly snail could help ease pain

摘要

What first comes to mind when you see the word "bioterrorism"? Genetically engineered influenza viruses, anthrax, smallpox? Chances are that snails are pretty far from your thoughts. But perhaps you should think again. In 2012, a paper in the Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense sounded the alarm over the prospects of toxins produced by a* genus of marine snails to be weaponised and deployed as an aerosol, with the potential to paralyse swathes of the population. Reassuringly, the authors concluded that the technical barriers to turning the snail toxins to nefarious ends were probably insurmountable, but in several laboratories around the world, work is ongoing to harness these potent compounds for a much more noble aim: pain relief.