New research has found that venom extracted from a species of marine cone snail could hold the key to developing 'ultra-fast-acting' insulins, leading to more efficient therapies for diabetes management.
Researchers from Australia and the US have successfully determined the three-dimensional structure of a cone snail venom insulin, revealing how these highly efficient natural proteins called Con-Ins G1 can operate faster than human insulin.
The teams also discovered that Con-Ins G1 was able [to] bind to human insulin receptors, signifying the potential for its translation into a human therapeutic.
(Score: 2) by fishybell on Wednesday September 14 2016, @11:04PM
Ah cone snails, what better way is there to die [nationalgeographic.com] than via a snail?