Research, Technology and Innovation

Success Stories

Snails lead B.C. doctor to new treatment for chronic pain

Doctors treating patients with chronic pain have had to rely on pain-killers like morphine to give the sufferers relief. However, these drugs lead to dependency and addiction for many users.

The work of Dr. Terrence Snutch of the University of B.C. may reveal a solution. Cone snails, a tropical marine species found in coral reefs, possess a unique venom containing a peptide more potent and effective than morphine but without the addictive side-effects of modern pain killers. This discovery led to the production of Prialt, a pharmaceutical that uses this peptide to relieve pain in humans.

But although Prialt is good at alleviating pain, it has to be injected into the spinal cord through a pump implanted under the skin. So Snutch has developed a pill that would work like Prialt, blocking the same channels in the spinal cord.

The B.C. doctor has signed a $500-million deal with pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., and clinical trials are underway. If effective, the drug could be available to the public by 2011.

B.C. is quickly becoming a leading locale of innovation in health and life sciences, and beyond.

For more information, please visit http://www.snutchlab.msl.ubc.ca/ or http://www.prialt.com.

Success Stories Index >>