The next time you’re at the beach make sure you don’t get close to the deadly cone snails- unless of course you’re in dire need of immediate addiction treatment in Florida, awkward pain medicine, or cancer treatment. No really, don’t get close to the cone snails. Their venom is deadly- and in very small doses! And actually it would be difficult to find them on Florida’s coast, because they’re indigenous to Australia’s east coast. But according to Florida Atlantic University (FAU) a particular species of cone snail may be the answer to treating addiction, cancer, and chronic pain.
Tech Times reports peptide toxins from the Conus episcopatus (fancy, scientific snail name) have the ability to possibly treat drug and alcohol addiction, certain types of cancers, and serve as a pain medication. Until recently studying the easily aggravated mollusk (which has been the cause of 30 deaths) was not an easy feat. But despite this, the University of Queensland took a second look at the potential medicinal properties of the cone snail, and they weren’t disappointed with what they found.
In a study published in PNAS, researchers reported using a new way to analyze the venom, which has allowed them to unlock the secrets of other medicinally beneficial properties found in the composition of the cone snails chief killing agent, which was before overlooked. Unfortunately there isn’t any extensive information that has been released about the use of cone snail venom for addiction treatment; but we’re eager to learn more about what researchers discover in their cone snail adventures and prodding. (And let’s hope they don’t prod too much, the snails are alive after all.)
In any case, it wouldn’t be the first time strange treatment methods for curing addiction have been proposed. Take the late 1800s into consideration, where, according to Medical Daily, early researchers and doctors attempted to cure alcoholism by employing alcohol vaccines. And yes, it’s as awful as it sounds. To test their alcohol vaccine theory early scientists subjected horses to the macabre experiment. Medical Daily quotes an excerpt from their research notes,
“The patient’s skin is scarified, and one of these paper ‘plaques’ [holding the vaccine solution], moistened with boiled water, is applied once a week for eight or nine weeks.”
Suffice it to say, their alcohol vaccine didn’t work out. At least this time around when researchers start injecting addicted test subjects with deadly venom, there’s some science behind it.
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