Scientists target new painkillers from spider venom

[MSUK]

Scientists in Australia have made an important discovery about spider venom that could lead to a new class of painkillers.

Spiders use their venom to immobilize or kill their prey. Researchers from the University of Queensland isolated seven peptides—the building blocks of proteins—in spider venom that blocked the molecular pathway responsible for sending pain signals from the nerves to the brain. One peptide in particular, from a Borneo orange-fringed tarantula, had the right structure, stability and potency to potentially become a painkilling drug, the researchers said. The study was recently published in the British Journal of Pharmacology...... Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/pain