The inspiration: A tiny snail from the Philippines
The idea for PRIALT was not born in a laboratory. It was inspired by the hunting ability of the tiny but powerful cone snails (Conus magus) that live in the tropical waters of the Philippine Islands.
See the Conus magnus snail in action >>
Just inches long, some of these cone snails hunt and eat fish their own size. To catch their prey, they hide in coral reefs and shoot out a thin, wormlike tube whenever fish come near.
If an overly curious fish attempts to swallow the tube, the snail instantly injects it with paralyzing venom. Once paralyzed, the fish is powerless and can be swallowed whole by the snail.
The discovery: A cone snail's venom led to the discovery of a different pain management option.
When scientists began studying how the cone snail's venom worked, they found that it could do more than paralyze overly curious fish.
The scientists broke the venom into small parts called peptides, and discovered that one of the peptides stopped some nerve cells from sending pain signals to the brain.
The development: A different pain medication
Once scientists understood how the peptide blocked pain, they set to work on developing a medicine that was a synthetic equivalent of the snail peptide.
The result was ziconotide intrathecal infusion, also known as PRIALT.
Scientists do not know how PRIALT works in humans; however, it is thought to it is thought to bind to N-type calcium channels reducing the release of neurotransmitters. This may block pain signals from traveling from one nerve cell to another.
