Latest news with #Elapidae
Scientific American
07-05-2025
- Health
- Scientific American
Blood of Man Who's Had 200 Snakebites Helps Make a Potent Antivenom
Scientists have made a potent antivenom using antibodies from a man who has been bitten hundreds of times by venomous snakes. The therapy protects mice against the venoms of 19 species of deadly snake, including the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). The antivenom combines the existing drug varespladib with antibodies that are copies of those in the blood of Tim Friede, a US snake collector who has given himself more than 600 doses of venom to build up his immunity. He has also been bitten roughly 200 times by venomous snakes. The antivenom is reported today in a paper in Cell. Scientists say that the research could lead to direly needed treatments, but that its reliance on material from a person who performed dangerous experiments on himself makes it ethically murky. The paper's authors say they played no part in Friede's self-exposure to venom. 'We did not advise Friede to do this and no one else needs to do this again — we have all the molecules we need,' says co-author Jacob Glanville, chief executive of biomedical firm Centivax in South San Francisco, California. 'Snake venom is dangerous,' he adds, and he cautions people not to follow Friede's example. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Imperfect remedies Current antivenoms are made by injecting horses and other animals with snake venom and then gathering the resulting antibodies. Each antivenom protects against the venom of at most a few species. 'Considering the advanced technologies available in immunology today, it is unacceptable to continue relying on these outdated methods for treating snake bites,' says Kartik Sunagar, a biologist who develops antivenoms at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. The paper's authors sought to make an antivenom that would protect against a wide range of the world's 600-plus venomous snake species. As a start, the team focused on the Elapidae family, which includes nearly half of those species. Elapid venom contains peptides called short-chain neurotoxins (SNX) and long-chain neurotoxins (LNX). Both types of peptide bind to the same receptors on nerve cells, impairing communication between neurons and potentially causing muscle paralysis and respiratory failure. Don't try this at home Glanville and his co-author Peter Kwong, a biochemist at Columbia University in New York City, had read news coverage about Friede, who took careful notes about his venom exposure. After receiving approval from an ethics review board, getting informed consent from Friede, and supplying him with documents about the dangers of snake venom, the team collected two vials of Friede's blood. They isolated antibodies from it and tested them against a panel of toxins from elapid snakes. Antibodies that bound to the toxins were then tested in mice that had been dosed with snake venom. Seeking to add protection against even more species, the researchers tested a third element: varespladib, which inhibits a snake-venom enzyme that breaks down muscle and nerve tissue. They found that a cocktail made up of varespladib and two antibodies from Friede allowed mice to survive otherwise lethal doses of venom from any one of 19 species of dangerous elapid snakes. One of the antibodies binds to a molecular feature shared by toxins in the LNX family. The other binds to a feature shared by toxins in the SNX family. Glanville says that exact copies of human antibodies could pose less risk of adverse reactions than those based on animal antibodies and broad-spectrum synthetic antibodies designed with computational approaches. Sunagar and other scientists expressed concerns about the ethics of this research, because of the risks Friede took. But he also says that the study is well executed, and shows that combinations of small-molecule drugs such as varespladib and monoclonal antibodies — copies of human antibodies — hold promise. However, it's not clear whether these antibodies can be produced at an industrial scale for an affordable price, he says. Jean-Philippe Chippaux, a specialist in venomous-snake bites and an emeritus researcher at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development in Paris, says that the main challenge in addressing snake bite is not the efficacy of the treatments, but the fact that they are often administered too late. 'We need to think about ways to bring antivenoms closer to the areas where venomous snake bites occur and to convince patients to come to the hospital more quickly,' he says. 'There is no reason to believe that the new generation of broad-spectrum antibodies will achieve these results.' Glanville says he is thinking about ways to make these therapies more portable and affordable. He also says it's important to provide proof that the cocktail works in the real world before initiating any human trials. Centivax is planning to test the experimental cocktail in dogs bitten by snakes in Australia. Dogs will first be given the experimental treatment; if it doesn't work after a few minutes, they will receive conventional antivenom.
Gulf Insider
18-04-2025
- Science
- Gulf Insider
Black Cobra Spotted In Oman For The First Time
In a major ecological breakthrough, scientists have confirmed the first recorded presence of the black cobra (Walterinnesia aegyptia) in Dhofar governorate, according to local media reports. The discovery raises the total number of scientifically documented snake species in Oman to 22. The find was made by researchers from the University of Nizwa's Natural and Medical Sciences Research Centre, in collaboration with the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain. The discovery has been officially published in the international journal Zootaxa, and the supporting data uploaded to MorphoBank, a global open-access scientific database. استكمالًا لجهود #هيئة_البيئة في تنفيذ مشروع الزواحف في سلطنة عُمان، تُسجّل الهيئة أول توثيق رسمي لأفعى "الصّل الأسود" في السلطنة،تم التوثيق في محافظة ظفار بالتعاون مع معهد الأحياء التطوري بإسبانيا وجامعة نزوى، ليرتفع عدد الأفاعي المسجّلة إلى 22 نوعًا.… — هيئة البيئة – عُمان (@ea_oman) April 17, 2025 Genetic testing showed a near-identical match between the specimens found in Oman and those previously recorded in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. As a result, scientists have synonymized Walterinnesia morgani with W. aegyptia, resolving a longstanding taxonomic The desert black cobra, a member of the Elapidae family, is known for its glossy, jet-black appearance and highly venomous nature. It is primarily nocturnal, with adults reaching up to 150 cm in length. Juveniles tend to be less defensive compared to other cobra species. Officials from the Omani Environment Authority have praised the discovery as a significant step in the country's biodiversity research. They attributed the success to the efforts of the Snake Survey Team in Dhofar. The confirmed presence of the black cobra underscores Oman's importance as a regional biodiversity hotspot, local media added.
Muscat Daily
16-04-2025
- Science
- Muscat Daily
Black cobra recorded in Oman for first time
Salalah – A team of scientists from the University of Nizwa, in collaboration with the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, has confirmed the first recorded presence of black cobra (Walterinnesia aegyptia) in Dhofar governorate, marking a significant addition to Oman's reptile species list. Led by the Natural and Medical Sciences Research Centre at the University of Nizwa, the study confirms the presence of the desert-dwelling cobra in several areas of Dhofar. With this, the number of scientifically documented snake species in Oman has risen to 22. The findings have been published on 'MorphoBank', an international open-access scientific database, enabling researchers around the world to access the data and build on the research. Genetic analysis conducted during the study showed that the specimens found in Dhofar are nearly identical to those recorded in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Mitochondrial DNA results demonstrated a strong genetic match, leading to the reclassification of Walterinnesia morgani as a synonym of W. aegyptia, effectively resolving a long-standing taxonomic debate. The black cobra, a highly venomous nocturnal snake from the Elapidae family, is known for its uniform glossy black appearance and lack of patterns. Adults can grow up to 150cm in length. Juveniles of the species tend to exhibit less aggressive defensive behaviour than other cobra species.
USA Today
27-01-2025
- General
- USA Today
Deadly snake proves nearly impossible to spot…but it's there
Editor's note: A version of this post was first published on Feb. 1, 2021. An expert snake catcher puzzled his audience on Facebook by posting an image of a venomous snake and asked if anyone could spot it among an assortment of foliage, much of it small trees, limbs, sticks and twigs that look as if they could be a snake. Stuart McKenzie of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers in Australia added a second challenge to the mix by giving 'bonus points' if you could name the species. Can you spot the deadly snake? Most could not. Check out the bigger photo on Facebook. Here are just a few of the more than 900 responses, some that came with screenshots with the snake circled (erroneously, we might add): 'Nope! Can't see it…no bushwalking for me.' 'Straight up the back tree.' [Wrong] 'Just below the fork on the long branch on the ground, I think.' [Wrong] 'I tried to circle it, but all you can see really is the tail, it seems.' [Wrong] Also on FTW Outdoors: Can you spot the lion out in the open staring at tourists? 'Did anyone actually find a snake or is this all just a joke??' 'Snake or stick, mate?' 'I can't see no snake, but they are notoriously sneaky critters so there could be one anywhere!!!' 'I can't see it.' 'I'm so confused I'm seeing snakes everywhere now.' 'Yep, I see sticks, leaves, trees and by this stage I'd be dead because I still wouldn't have seen it or felt it. I've been looking at everyone's answer and bugger me, nothing.' Though it didn't seem as if anyone spotted it, there were these guesses as to the species: Ghonas snake. Tiger snake. Mulger snake. Green snake. Brown snake. Python. Copperhead. Viper. Well, actually, it's a yellow-faced whip snake and, no, it's not a joke. The snake is actually in the photo. Here's one look: McKenzie helped with an even closer look: The yellow-faced whip snake belongs to a species of venomous snakes in the Elapidae family, one containing many dangerous snakes. They grow to 31-47 inches and are said to be active during the day, fast-moving and common throughout Australia. They are also very hard to spot.
