Added to the World Health Organization’s priority list of neglected tropical diseases in 2017, snakebite victimizes around five million people yearly, causing up to 138,000 deaths and 400,000 permanent disabilities, such as limb amputation. The world, unfortunately, has a shortage of venom antidote, which is partly due to commercial pressures on biopharmaceutical companies, as well as the labor-intensive nature of antivenom production.
Thankfully, this might just be our lucky break.
European researchers have used stem cells from snakes to grow mini-glands that make venom, a finding that could address the global shortage of life-saving antivenom for snakebite.
The team, led by Hans Clevers at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, the Netherlands, dissected out the venom glands of nine snake species, including the Cape Coral snake and the Cape Cobra, both endemic to southern Africa.
More details about this over at Cosmos Magazine.
(Image Credit: Ravian Van Ineveld/ Princess Máxima Centre)