Venezuelan Pinkfoot Goliath tarantula tagged posts

Giant Spider provides promise of Pain Relief for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Two pain blocking peptides were found in the venom from the Venezuelan Pinkfoot Goliath tarantula. Molecules from the venom of one of the world’s largest spiders could help University of Queensland-led researchers tailor pain blockers for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Researchers screened 28 spiders, with the venom of the Venezuelan Pinkfoot Goliath tarantula — which has a leg-span of up to 30 centimetres — showing the most promise.

The team led by Professor Richard Lewis from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience in collaboration with Flinders University’s Professor Stuart Brierley and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute hopes to find effective pain relief for chronic intestinal pain.

“All pains are complex but gut pain is particularly ...

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