Venomous Sea Snail Could Be Key To More Effective Painkillers With Lower Risk Of Addiction

A cone snail searches for prey. Researchers from varied disciplines are collaborating to understand the way conotoxins — chemicals found in cone snail venom — work and how they can be utilized to reduce pain in humans. (Pengchao-BGI/CC BY-SA 4.0)

A venomous sea snail could hold the key to developing more effective painkillers with a reduced risk of addiction, researchers say.

Deadly venom produced by cone snails has occasionally killed humans, and there is no antitoxin available.