Ohio State College of Pharmacy officials say they are investigating the mystery behind a poisoning that caused a pharmacy student to lapse into a coma.Lane Wallace, associate dean of the college, said that tests indicate that Venkalakshmi Dalkrishnan, a pharmacy student from India, suffered from cyanide poisoning on Jan. 10.He said he did not know her current condition or prognosis. Officials at OSU Medical Center would not comment Tuesday on her admission or her condition.What remains unknown to pharmacy officials is how she could have come into contact with the deadly poison. Experts say cyanide is a poison found mainly in laboratories or industries such as mining.’Usually people who are poisoned by cyanide have access to it,’ said Cathy Koonz, a poison specialist from the Central Ohio Poison Center. ‘It’s pretty rare. In fact, I can’t remember the last case we had.’Adding to the mystery is that Dalkrishnan was never in the lab on Jan. 10, the day she encountered the poison, Wallace said.At this point, the source of the poison remains an enigma, he said. There was no indication that the poisoning was a suicide attempt.Cyanide stops the flow of oxygen to cells and is very toxic, Koonz said.’It prevents energy production,’ said Dr. Mark Berry, an OSU alumnus who is conducting post-doctorate research in pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan.Berry explained that it is rare to come into contact with cyanide, even in a laboratory. ‘Cyanide is one of the most toxic compounds there is. It should be kept under lock and key.’In a laboratory setting, researchers regularly wear protective gloves in handling the liquid poison, he said. ‘You treat it like any other toxic compound.’