Peptides are recognized as being highly selective, potent and relatively safe as potential
therapeutics. Peptides isolated from the venom of different animals satisfy most of these …

Estimates of non-microbial diversity on Earth range from 2 million to over 50 million species,
with great uncertainties in numbers of insects, fungi, nematodes, and deep-sea organisms …

Conopeptides are a diverse group of recently evolved venom peptides used for prey capture
and/or defense. Each species of cone snails produces in excess of 1000 conopeptides, with …

Opioids are first-line drugs for moderate to severe acute pain and cancer pain. However,
these medications are associated with severe side effects, and whether they are efficacious …

There have been numerous attempts to develop non-opioid drugs for severe pain, but the
vast majority of these efforts have failed. A notable exception is Ziconotide (Prialt®) …

Cone snails are carnivorous marine gastropods that have evolved potent venoms to capture
their prey. These venoms comprise a rich and diverse cocktail of peptide toxins, or …

Marine snails of the genus Conus are a large family of predatory gastropods with an
unparalleled molecular diversity of pharmacologically active compounds in their venom …

Cysteine-rich peptides from the venom of cone snails (Conus) target a wide variety of
different ion channels. One family of conopeptides, the α-conotoxins, specifically target …

Over two decades of research on venom peptides derived from cone snails (“conopeptides
or conotoxins”) has led to several compounds that have reached human clinical trials, most …

Predatory cone snails (genus Conus) produce a rich array of venoms that collectively
contain an estimated 100,000 small, disulfide-rich peptides (ie, conotoxins, or …