Researchers Are Using Tarantula Venom To Design New Painkillers

Health and Medicine





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Tarantula venom may be surprisingly useful. asawinimages/Shutterstock

The search for safer, more effective and non-addictive painkillers has led scientists to an unlikely source: tarantula venom. More specifically, a single compound found in the venom of the Peruvian green velvet tarantula, which has been found to inhibit a particular pain receptor on the membrane of neuronal cells. By examining how this molecule works, researchers hope to open up new possibilities for the creation of synthetic painkillers.