In the panorama of scientific research, innovation often takes inspiration from nature (it's a feature of this site: if you don't believe it, look at our tag biomimetics). And it often also offers us revolutionary solutions to ancient threats. This is the case of snake venom, one of the oldest and most persistent threats to humanity, especially in rural regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. The recent discovery by researchers at Scripps Research, however, could mark the beginning of a new era in the fight against this lethal danger.
Poison, an ancient and persistent evil
Each year, more than 100.000 people lose their lives to snakebites – a number that surpasses many neglected tropical diseases. The difficulty in dealing with these events lies in the vast diversity of venoms, with each snake species producing a unique “toxic cocktail”.
Until now, available antivenoms have been specific to each species, requiring a wide range of different treatments depending on the snake involved. Now what?
An innovative approach
The Scripps Research team led by Dr Joseph Jardine took a radical approach to the problem, identifying an antibody capable of neutralizing the venom of a wide range of snakes. This discovery, published on Science Translational Medicine (I link it to you here), demonstrated the possibility of creating a universal antivenom, effective against the venom of all snake species.
The research used lab-made versions of the toxins to analyze billions of different human antibodies, looking for the one that could block their activity. The identified antibody, which protected mice from the normally lethal venom of snakes such as the black mamba and king cobra, represents a significant step towards making a universal serum.
Towards a global treatment
The antibody, called 95 Mat5, has been shown to be effective in preventing not only death but also paralysis in mice, offering real promise for treating snakebites globally. Interestingly, the antibody works by mimicking the structure of the human protein to which toxins normally bind, an approach similar to that used in HIV antibody studies.
Next steps? Expand research to maximize protection against venom from all medically relevant snake species. And it's worth working on, because this universal serum has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives every year.
