"Uses of Venoms & Toxins in Medicine"

Venomous creatures have fascinated mankind and their understanding was a subject of research. Emerging technologies, exogenomics synthetic methods accelerate drug discovery.

     These toxins and venoms contain innumerable substances that form a template from which molecular mimics can be created that have wide pharmacological potential and these small molecules help in understanding the functioning of ion channels and receptors.

     This acts as an investigational tool in uncovering therapeutic targets. Molecular templates help in drug design based discovery with quicker results.

     Today, approximately 15 pharmaceuticals derived from toxins exist, including first-in-class, top-selling, and life-saving medications. They are used to treat a diverse range of diseases such as heart attack, hypertension, diabetes, chronic pain, and are taken by tens of millions of patients globally. It is estimated that over 20 million toxins remain unexplored in more than 100,000 venomous animal species found in nature. This highlights the molecular biodiversity of venoms as an unparalleled and a valuable source for the development of novel therapeutics.
      The conditions that can be relieved with these venoms and toxins derived drugs are mind boggling