Komives’ team showed that they could program the bacteria E. “It appears that the venom protein may bind to the peptide, rendering it no longer toxic.” The exact mechanism is not known, but recently published computer models have shown that the peptide interacts with proteins in the snake venom that are toxic to humans, she says. Western Diamondback rattlesnakes and Russell’s Viper venom from Pakistan. When they tested it in venom-exposed mice, they found that it protected them from the poisonous effects of bites from U.S. Armed with this information, they had the peptide chemically synthesized. Lipps, Ph.D., found that a smaller chain of amino acids from the opossum protein, called a peptide, was also able to neutralize the venom.īut Komives says it appears that no one has followed up on those studies to develop an antivenom therapy –– at least not until she and her team came along. In the early 1990s, a group of researchers identified a serum protein from the opossum that was able to neutralize snake venoms. Komives, Ph.D., who is at San Jose State University, explains that initial studies showing the opossum’s immunity to snake venom were done in the 1940s. Intriguingly, opossums shrug off snake bite venom with no ill effects. Worldwide, an estimated 421,000 cases of poisonous snake bites and 20,000 deaths from these bites occur yearly, according to the International Society on Toxicology. The meeting features nearly 11,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics. The presentation will take place here at the 249 th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society. They predict it could save thousands of lives worldwide without the side effects of current treatments. To ask questions, sign in with a Google account.ĭENVER, MaScientists will report in a presentation today that they have turned to the opossum to develop a promising new and inexpensive antidote for poisonous snake bites. Reporters may check-in at Room 104 in person, or watch live on YouTube. Mountain time in the Colorado Convention Center. Note to journalists: Please report that this research will be presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.Ī press conference on this topic will be held Monday, March 23, at 10 a.m.
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