The Conus regius is a sea snail in the Caribbean Sea.
UTAH, USA, Thursday February 23, 2017 – The venom of a small snail native to the Caribbean could be used to develop a completely new way of treating chronic pain, according to researchers.
The venom of the Conus regius sea snail, which is normally used to paralyse or kill the snail’s prey, also contains a compound that seems to offer long-lasting pain relief.
The compound was still working and still blocking pain three days after being administered in experiments with rats.
According to the American research team, the findings meant that it may be possible to create a new pain therapy for patients who had exhausted all other options.