<p>Venom derived from the long-glanded blue coral snake - one of Southeast Asia's rarest and deadliest snakes - may lead to painkillers that manage pain without the side effect of addiction, scientists have claimed.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The snake with electric blue stripes and neon-red head and tail grows up to two metres long. Its venom glands extend to 60 centimetres – about a quarter of its body length.<br /><br />Described as "the killer of killers" due to its taste for young king cobras, this snake is unique among snakes because, like scorpions, its venom causes its prey to spasm.<br /><br />"This venom hits a particular type of sodium channel that is important for the treatment of pain in humans," said Bryan Fry, from the University of Queensland in Australia.<br /><br />Researchers identified six unusual peptides in the venom of the blue coral snake that can switch on all of its prey's nerves at once. This immediately immobilises its victim.<br /><br />They found that the venom used receptors which were critical to pain in humans. <br /><br />Learning how these work may enable improved pain treatment and management, the 'Sydney Morning Herald' reported.<br /><br />"It's a great example of why studying the really weird animals is a great path for biodiscovery and you can't get any weirder than this snake with the longest venom glands in the world," Fry said.<br /><br />The findings were published in the journal Toxins.</p>
<p>Venom derived from the long-glanded blue coral snake - one of Southeast Asia's rarest and deadliest snakes - may lead to painkillers that manage pain without the side effect of addiction, scientists have claimed.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The snake with electric blue stripes and neon-red head and tail grows up to two metres long. Its venom glands extend to 60 centimetres – about a quarter of its body length.<br /><br />Described as "the killer of killers" due to its taste for young king cobras, this snake is unique among snakes because, like scorpions, its venom causes its prey to spasm.<br /><br />"This venom hits a particular type of sodium channel that is important for the treatment of pain in humans," said Bryan Fry, from the University of Queensland in Australia.<br /><br />Researchers identified six unusual peptides in the venom of the blue coral snake that can switch on all of its prey's nerves at once. This immediately immobilises its victim.<br /><br />They found that the venom used receptors which were critical to pain in humans. <br /><br />Learning how these work may enable improved pain treatment and management, the 'Sydney Morning Herald' reported.<br /><br />"It's a great example of why studying the really weird animals is a great path for biodiscovery and you can't get any weirder than this snake with the longest venom glands in the world," Fry said.<br /><br />The findings were published in the journal Toxins.</p>