Conotoxins: Potential Weapons from the Sea

brown and black seashells on white sand during daytime

Peter D. Anderson and Gyula Bokor Cone snails are predatory marine animals that kill their prey with powerful venom. Conotoxins are a pharmacologically and chemically diverse group of toxins found in the venom. A number of species of cone snails, such as Conus geographus, are deadly to humans. Conotoxins affect numerous neurotransmitter receptors and ion […]

Like Venom Coursing Through the Body: Researchers Identify Mechanism Driving COVID-19 Mortality

Rosemary Brandt Researchers from the University of Arizona, in collaboration with Stony Brook University and Wake Forest School of Medicine, analyzed blood samples from two COVID-19 patient cohorts and found that circulation of the enzyme – secreted phospholipase A2 group IIA, or sPLA2-IIA, – may be the most important factor in predicting which patients with […]