At a glance
The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is known for its fast and potent venom. But hidden in their deadly biochemical weapons collection is a rare treasure: Mambalgin, a peptide that can significantly relieve pain without the addictive properties of opioids. It blocks the so-called ASIC1 ion channels, which act as pain switches in the nervous system. Until now, however, this peptide has been extremely difficult and expensive to produce on an industrial scale due to its complex structure.
An international research group has now used just two targeted amino acid substitutions to transform Mambalgin-1 into an analogue that is not only an order of magnitude more efficient in production, but also shows up to five times the potency of its target structures. It is a triumph of biotechnological precision.
