Revolutionary Anti-Venom Solutions Combat the World’s Most Lethal Snakes

Antibodies derived from inflammatory men exhibit effectiveness against a range of snake bites, suggesting that a universal treatment may soon be achievable.

Annually, snake bites result in the deaths of as many as 137,000 individuals. In addition, there are reported cases of significant complications. Currently, anti-venoms are being manufactured for individual snake species using antibodies sourced from sheep.

The use of non-human antibodies, however, can lead to serious adverse effects, including potentially fatal allergic reactions. Additionally, it necessitates the identification of the specific snake responsible for the bite before administering the anti-venom.

Jacob Granville from Centivax, a biotechnology firm in San Francisco, California, is exploring broadly neutralizing antibodies that could be developed into anti-venoms effective against multiple or all venomous snakes. “There are 650 venomous snake species, but their venoms involve just 10 common classes of toxins,” Granville explains.

Researchers began investigating individuals bitten multiple times by different snakes. “Perhaps a daring snake researcher,” remarks Granville. Media reports introduced the story of Tim Friede, who claims to have “self-administered escalating doses of venom from the world’s deadliest snakes over 700 times.”

“If anyone could yield a wide-ranging neutralizing antibody against snake venom, it would be Tim Friede,” Granville affirms.

From just 40 milliliters of Friede’s blood, the team “converted immune memory into a library of billions of antibodies,” he adds. They subsequently tested promising candidates against venom from 19 of the deadliest Elapidae family species, including several cobra varieties.

Ultimately, they treated two antibodies derived from Friede’s blood, known as LNX-D09 and SNX-B03, along with a toxin inhibitor named varespladib. In experiments on mice, this combination provided comprehensive protection against 13 species, including various cobras, the tiger snake (Notechis scutatus), and the general Thai bread snake (Oxyuranus scutellatus). It also offered partial protection against six additional species, including the notorious death adder (Acanthophis Antalcus).

The subsequent phase involves testing these treatments on animals brought into Australian veterinary clinics following a snake bite and identifying antibodies that can confer protection against vipers.

Tian Du from the University of Sydney emphasizes that “discovering two antibodies that can inhibit toxins makes for a universal treatment for closely related species.”

Additionally, after learning that the anticoagulant drug heparin can assist individuals in avoiding limb loss following a cobra bite, Du aims to determine whether their treatment can also avert skin and muscle necrosis.