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Because it’s restricted to the peripheral compartment, we think that’s why it’s so safe. It’s blocking pain from ever getting to the brain.—Christopher Gallen, Wex Pharmaceuticals
It takes only a milligram of tetrodotoxin (TTX) from improperly prepared fugu—typically made from one of a number of genera of pufferfish in Japanese or Korean cuisine—to kill an unlucky diner. Just 20 minutes after it passes a person’s lips, the tongue goes numb. Then, headache, vomiting, paralysis, and difficulty breathing can follow, and victims might die within a few hours. While tragic in the culinary setting, TTX has been a windfall for neuroscience and, if all goes well with ongoing clinical trials, may one day serve as a potent painkiller.
Since the 1960s, TTX has been a favored ...