Snake bite deaths will become a thing of the past.
Researchers have introduced a groundbreaking “universal” antivenom that shows promise in neutralizing the lethal toxins present in the venoms of a wide array of poisonous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on February 21, the study revealed that the developed antibody effectively shielded mice from the typically fatal venom of snakes such as black mambas and king cobras.
Senior researcher Joseph Jardine, an assistant professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, emphasized the significance of this breakthrough, highlighting its potential impact on regions with high incidences of snakebite-related deaths and injuries, particularly in low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa, where over 100,000 people succumb to snakebites annually.
Unlike traditional antivenoms, which are typically specific to individual snake species and derived from venom-immunized animals, this new antivenom targets a common venom toxin shared among various snake species belonging to the elapid family. These toxins, known as three-finger toxins, are notorious for inducing whole-body paralysis.
To develop the antibody, researchers systematically analyzed venom proteins from a multitude of poisonous snakes, identifying commonalities in three-finger toxins across different elapid species. By engineering mammalian cells to produce these toxins in the laboratory, researchers were able to screen thousands of human antibodies for their ability to neutralize the toxins.
Through rigorous testing, one antibody, designated as 95Mat5, emerged as particularly potent against various variants of three-finger toxins. Subsequent experiments on mice injected with venoms from multiple elapid species confirmed the antibody’s efficacy in preventing both death and paralysis.
Importantly, the antibody was found to mimic the structure of a human protein to which three-finger toxins typically bind, underscoring its mechanism of action.
While the developed antivenom specifically targets elapid venoms and does not block toxins from viper species, the research team is actively pursuing antibodies against other venom components to expand its efficacy.
Lead researcher Irene Khalek, a scientist at Scripps Research, envisions a future where a combination of antibodies could form a universal antivenom capable of neutralizing the venoms of medically relevant snakes worldwide.
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