Published: 25th Apr, 2024
Context
A group of scientists, using a type of toxin found in many kinds of snakes, synthetically developed a broadly applicable human antibody against the venom toxin.
Key-highlights
- The scientists focused on three-finger toxins (3FTxs) — one of the most abundant and lethal ingredients in elapid venoms.
- Elapids are a major medically relevant family of snakes that include cobras, kraits, and mambas.
- The scientists narrowed their focus on α-neurotoxins, a specific class of 3FTxs that target receptors in human nerve and muscle cells.
- These toxins prevent the receptors from responding to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in carrying messages from the neurons to the muscles, leading to paralysis, an inability to breathe, and eventually death.
- They then screened billions of human antibodies and selected number of antibodies that an animal’s immune system could cook up in response to a venom. After multiple rounds, they had a shortlist of antibodies that broadly reacted with most of the 3FTx variants they used.
- Then an antibody dubbed 95Mat5 was found that worked well against all the snake venoms.
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Fact Box: Devastation caused by Snakebites
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