Scorpion Venom Could Make a Safe Alternative to Morphine
Scorpion venom and intense pain generally go hand in hand, but a group of researchers at Tel Aviv University are rethinking that relationship, using a better understanding of the peptide toxins found in scorpions' pain-inducing payloads to create a breed of non-addictive, side effect-free painkillers. Pain is communicated to the brain via a certain type of sodium channel embedded in our nervous and muscular systems. Understanding the way these sodium channels convey the sensation of pain from certain parts of the body to the brain is key to manipulating these signals to reduce or eliminate feelings of pain. Figure out how to manipulate those mechanisms, and we could be on the way to a much less painful future. Related Articles Targeted Morphine on the BattlefieldVirtual Reality Helps Alleviate Severe Pain Self-Regulated Morphine Delivery for Wounded WarfightersTagsScience, Clay Dillow, health, medicine, morphine, peptide toxins, pharmaceuticals, scorpoins, venomLuckily for us, scorpions -- friendly little...