Abstract
Cone snails are predatory marine gastropods that prey on worms, molluscs and fish. The venoms of these animals are true pharmacological treasures, and with the recent approval of the first cone snail venom-derived drug, the pressure on the resource is set to increase. While habitat loss and over-collecting for the shell trade are the major threat to cone snail diversity, every effort should be made to preserve this unique pharmacopoeia, including reducing to a minimum the number of specimens collected for scientific purposes. To this end, we show how recent improvements in sensitivity, miniaturisation of equipment, high throughput screens and novel technologies can help deliver valuable scientific and economic outcomes from small quantities of these limited samples.