I didn't check through the archives to see if this info was posted earlier but if so I apologize for the unnecessary clutter and redundancy. I ran across this article from late 2006 for ongoing work on a completely new and previously unrecognized mechanism for neuropathic pain. Vc1.1, also known as ACV1, was found by University of Melbourne scientist Prof Bruce Livett and is being developed by an Australian company, Metabolic, and is undergoing trials in human patients.

The compound is found in the venom of cone snails such as Conus regius, which measures up to three inches in length and lives from Georgia southward along Central America to Brazil’s central coast; and the similarly sized Conus victoriae, which lives off Australia. Cone snails are among the deadliest species on earth, their venoms are typically at least 1000x deadlier than a cobra.

I realize that this doesn't help anyone's current struggles with PN including my own, but I think the research is really interesting and perhaps will lead to future drug(s)specifically targeted for PN and other types of neuropathic pain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected.../ecsnail15.xml

Alkymst

Thanks for sharing this find Alkymst, sounds very promising for future relief of PN & so many other awfull disabling diseases out there that are not helped that much with the current meds that are available presently.

Brian

Is already a snail venom product on the market here.

It is called Prialt. It has to be administered via pump to the spinal cord.

It is not working well, since the side effects can be very severe for some.
It took a long time to come to market.

This thread has one patient's experience:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ad.php?t=14801

I don't know if my memory serves me right Mrs D, but I seem to recall that snake venom has tried to be used as a pain killer for various reasons over the recent years (and I'm sure, in the distant past -too).
Other than the obvious use, anti-veneem (sp?) used to combat snakebite,
I don't think it has had much wide acclaim - or usage.

Sorry didn't mean to post something that was not useful - my error.
Alkymst

it is useful informaton alkymst.

it may not work for everyone, but it might be just what somebody needs. and for those that is is working for...i'm sure they are very thankful.

maybe the more it is talked about, there will be further testing and tweaking.

Absolutely post things like this when you see them. We can all learn more from what you post and the discussion that follows.

One should not feel abashed, for posting anything here.

One cannot tell what the future may bring. Some things work out and
others do not.

In the world of health news, fickle I'd say is the best word to describe it.

Glowing reports, followed by tarnish, or even lies! How is the reader to know?

Well, if you post it, and someone else has seen others like it, then the
knowledge base increases, or not depending on Karma!

You done well, its great to post recent findings, As they say

There really is no highly effective treatment available for this kind of severe pain, so having a new way to treat it is exciting," Prof McIntosh says. If the new discovery eventually leads to a new pain drug that is combined with existing treatments, "you may be able to reduce the pain to a lower level than ever before."
Sounds like they are talking about something completely different than whats already out there now.

and this part too,
Researchers have also identified a natural painkiller produced in humans, termed opiorphin, which is several times as potent as morphine in pain studies in rats, according to a second study in the same issue of PNAS. Catherine Rougeot of the Institut Pasteur, Paris, and colleagues had recently identified a potent pain sensation inhibitor in rats called sialorphin and wondered whether humans also secrete a similar compound. The researchers successfully isolated opiorphin from human saliva that works in the same way. The analgesic properties of opiorphin warrant further study, they report.

This type of finding gives people hope of whom are suffering badly now
Brian