PAIN KILLER

SCORPION VENOM TO REPLACE MORPHINE AS PAINKILLER

Scorpion venom  is notoriously poisonous but it can potentially replace dangerous new study. Michael Gurevitz, professor at Tel Aviv University, is  investigating new ways for developing a novel painkiller based on natural compounds found in scorpion venom. These compounds have gone through millions of years of evolution and some show high efficacy and specificity for certain components of the body with no side-effects, he says. Peptide toxins found in scorpion venom interact with sodium channels in nervous and muscular systems-and some of these sodium channels communicate pain, says Gurevitz. For the study, Gurevitz is concentrating on the Israeli yellow scorpion, one of the most potent scorpions in the world.