Experts pioneer universal snake-bite antivenom

Through a ’milking’ process, 21 species of Africa’s most venomous snakes, consisting 450 animals in total, will have their venom extracted so that LSTM researchers can develop an effective treatment.

The researchers intend to develop an antivenom which can be stored safely at ambient temperatures, avoiding the need for refrigeration throughout the manufacturing and storage process.

To do this, the research team intends to test a series of special molecules added to the antivenom during manufacture to increase its stability at ambient temperatures.

“Snakebite, while serious, is a perfectly treatable condition given the right tools

MRC chairman Paul Moss

If effective, a universal antivenom could help prevent 32,000 deaths from snake-bite in sub-Saharan Africa each year, and help reduce the 96,000 people who are left permanently disabled as a result of these bites, the researchers said.

“There are over 20 species of deadly snakes in sub-Saharan Africa and doctors often rely on the victim’s description of the animal to help them decide which treatment to administer,” said Robert Harrison, head of LSTM’s Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit.

“The preferred option therefore is to give a broad-spectrum, or poly-specific, antivenom to cover all the possible snake species that could be responsible. Because these treatments are generally not very effective against any one species, the doctor administers many vials,” Harrison said.

“However, each dose carries a risk of serious side effects and this risk increases with each additional vial.”

To improve the potency of poly-specific antivenom, the LSTM team, alongside researchers from Costa Rica and Spain, has developed a new technique, dubbed ’antivenomics’, to significantly expand the effectiveness of the antivenom.

The antivenom will most likely be developed in Costa Rica using a system deemed “considerably cheaper” than most antivenom manufacturing processes, making it far more accessible to impoverished snake bite victims.

Currently, a single vial of the most effective poly-specific antivenom costs £92 ($140) per vial, and as several vials are often needed to achieve cure, it can cost a snake-bite victim more than £400 ($600) per treatment.

“Snakebite, like so many neglected tropical diseases, hits those living in the poorest communities the hardest and addressing such health inequalities is a core part of the MRC’s mission,” said Paul Moss, chairman of the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Infections and Immunity Board, which is funding the work.

“Snakebite, while serious, is a perfectly treatable condition given the right tools, which this innovative project promises to deliver in the form of an affordable treatment that works even for those living in the most challenging circumstances,” Moss said.