Frankly I'm surprised we haven't heard a bit more about the research being
done on the medical applications of conotoxins from our more enlightened
medical and scientific members.  Significant results have been found using
conotoxins as neural blockers both as pain relievers and treatments for
neurological disorders such as Parkinson's.  Dr Olviera at Utah, Dr. Frank
Mari at Florida Atlantic and another study in Australia have been
researching conotoxins for medicine for years. and have developed quite
sophisticated methods for "milking" various Conus species.  Like Leslie, I
have been involved in providing species for these studies and as I
understand it, the biggest challenge is how to synthesize these complex
toxins to provide a significant dosage to treat the target symptom.  Perhaps
some of our members might be able to provide us with a web site to expand on
this further.  I my humble opinion, there is reason for optimism that
derivatives from these "natural" sources have the potential for major
scientific breakthroughs.

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