A fatal snake bite could have its nemesis. Danish scientists tested a new recombinant antivenom in animal experiments and found that it is effective against a variety of deadly snake venoms, including mambas, cobras and spitters, bringing hope to the development of better treatments that can "fight one against many". Relevant research was published in the latest issue of "Nature" magazine.
Venomous snake bites are a major health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, causing thousands of deaths and serious injuries each year. Current antivenoms, made from animal plasma, are expensive, unstable and sometimes cause adverse reactions. These sera also do not target all medically relevant snake species or prevent severe tissue damage.
This time, a research team from the Technical University of Denmark created a new antivenom by combining engineered proteins called nanobodies. These nanobodies target key toxins found in snake venom. The team identified the nanobodies after immunizing an alpaca and a llama with the venom of 18 species of African snakes, including cobras, mambas and spitters. In experiments on mice, the antivenom prevented death from bites from 17 species of snakes and mitigated tissue damage caused by some of the most harmful venoms. Compared with the existing commercial antivenom Inoserp PAN-AFRICA, this serum was more effective in preventing death and skin necrosis in all snake species tested, but it was only partially protective against green and black mamba venom.
The findings suggest that only a small amount of the new serum is needed to achieve universal snakebite protection, challenging previous ideas that a large cocktail of antibodies is needed. Further studies need to focus on the persistence of this antivenom and test its clinical safety.