IISc Team Develops Synthetic Antibody to Combat Neurotoxin in Lethal Snake Venom

New Delhi: Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute and the Evolutionary Venomics Lab (EVL) at Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have created a synthetic human antibody capable of neutralising a potent neurotoxin produced by highly toxic snakes like the cobra, king cobra, krait, and black mamba within the Elapidae family.

As per IISc, this innovation brings us closer to a universal antibody solution that could provide broad protection against various snake venoms. Snakebites lead to thousands of deaths each year, particularly in India and sub-Saharan Africa. 

Key Findings of IISc Synthetic Antibody To Tackle Deadly Snake Neurotoxin

The current method of developing antivenoms involves injecting snake venom into animals like horses, ponies, and mules and then collecting antibodies from their blood. However, this approach has major issues.

According to Kartik Sunagar, Associate Professor at CES and joint corresponding author of the study, these animals are exposed to various bacteria and viruses. This results in antivenoms containing antibodies against microorganisms, which are therapeutically unnecessary. Less than 10% of a typical antivenom vial contains antibodies targeting snake venom toxins.

The newly developed antibody focuses on a conserved region in the core of a major toxin called the three-finger toxin (3FTx) present in elapid venom. While different elapid species produce various 3FTxs, a few regions in the protein are similar. 

The team identified one such conserved region, the disulphide core, and created a large library of artificial antibodies from humans displayed on yeast cell surfaces.

After testing their ability to bind to 3FTxs from elapid snakes worldwide, the team identified one antibody that could strongly bind to various 3FTxs among the 149 variants found in public repositories.

Popular Courses at IISc Bangalore

Latest IISc Updates:

• IISc Bangalore SPARC Workshop Applications Open till Feb 23; Apply Here
• IISc Joined Hands with BFI to Accelerate Biomedical Innovation; Read More Here

Subscribe to Collegedunia to get the latest educational news and updates –