0
0
Sydney, Australia — In a groundbreaking study, scientists at the University of Sydney and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have unveiled a novel use for heparin, a common blood thinner, as a cost-effective antidote for cobra venom. This promising development could significantly reduce the severe injuries and deaths caused by cobra bites.
Cobras are responsible for thousands of deaths annually and cause severe tissue necrosis in countless others, often resulting in amputation. Current antivenom treatments, while effective against the venom itself, fall short in addressing the necrosis and other severe local effects of the bite.
Professor Greg Neely, from the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, emphasized the potential impact of this discovery: “Our discovery could drastically reduce the terrible injuries from necrosis caused by cobra bites – and it might also slow the venom, which could improve survival rates.”
The research team, utilizing CRISPR gene-editing technology, identified key genetic targets that cobra venom exploits to induce necrosis. They found that heparin, a widely used and inexpensive blood thinner, can act as a ‘decoy’ to neutralize the venom’s harmful effects. By flooding the bite site with heparin or related heparinoid molecules, the antidote binds to the venom’s toxins, preventing them from causing tissue damage.
PhD student Tian Du, the lead author of the study, highlighted the significance of this breakthrough: “Heparin is inexpensive, ubiquitous, and listed as an Essential Medicine by the World Health Organization. After successful human trials, it could be rolled out quickly as a cheap, safe, and effective treatment for cobra bites.”
Current antivenoms, developed in the 19th century, often fail to effectively treat the severe local effects of snakebites. In contrast, the heparinoid antidote offers a modern solution that targets the venom’s mechanisms more precisely. Professor Nicholas Casewell, Head of the Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, noted, “Our findings are exciting because current antivenoms are largely ineffective against severe local envenoming, which can lead to loss of limb function, amputation, and lifelong disability.”
The World Health Organization has made snakebite a priority in its program to tackle neglected tropical diseases, with a goal to halve the global burden of snakebite by 2030. This new antidote could play a crucial role in meeting that target.
Professor Neely added, “That target is just five years away now. We hope that the new cobra antidote we found can assist in the global fight to reduce death and injury from snakebite in some of the world’s poorest communities.”
This research, published in Science Translational Medicine, represents a significant advancement in the fight against one of the world’s deadliest neglected tropical diseases. The discovery follows the team’s previous success in developing an antidote for box jellyfish venom in 2019.
For more information, the study can be accessed via the journal’s website here.
Source: University of Sydney
Journal Reference: Du, T. Y., et al. (2024). Molecular dissection of cobra venom highlights heparinoids as an antidote for spitting cobra envenoming. Science Translational Medicine. doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adk4802.
