New Antidote for Cobra Bites Discovered

The AHA! Team — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:28:41 +0000

University of Sydney via EurekAlert! – Cheap, available drug could help reduce impact of snakebites worldwide Scientists at the University of Sydney and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have made a remarkable discovery: a commonly used blood thinner, heparin, can be repurposed as an inexpensive antidote for cobra venom. Cobras kill thousands of people a year worldwide and perhaps a hundred thousand more are seriously maimed by necrosis – the death of body tissue and cells – caused by the venom, which can lead to amputation. Cobras kill thousands of people a year worldwide Current antivenom treatment is expensive and does not effectively treat the necrosis of the flesh where the bite occurs. “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,” said Professor Greg Neely, a corresponding author of the study from the Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. Using CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify ways to block cobra venom, the team, which consisted of scientists based in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the UK, successfully repurposed heparin (a common blood thinner) and related drugs and showed they can stop the necrosis caused by cobra bites. The research is published today on the front cover of Science Translational Medicine. PhD student and lead author, Tian Du, also from the University of Sydney, said: “Heparin is inexpensive, ubiquitous and a World Health Organization-listed Essential Medicine. After successful human trials, it could be rolled out relatively quickly to become a cheap, safe and effective drug for treating cobra bites.” The team used CRISPR to find the human genes that cobra venom needs to cause necrosis that kills the flesh around the bite. One of the required venom targets are enzymes needed to produce the related molecules heparan and heparin, which many human and animal cells produce. Heparan is on the cell surface and heparin is released during an immune response. Their similar structure means the venom can bind to both. The team used this knowledge to make an antidote that can stop necrosis in human cells and mice. The heparinoid drugs act as a ‘decoy’ antidote Unlike current antivenoms for cobra bites, which are 19th century technologies, the heparinoid drugs act as a ‘decoy’ antidote. By flooding the bite site with ‘decoy’ heparin sulfate or related heparinoid molecules, the antidote can bind to and neutralize the toxins within the venom that cause tissue damage. Joint corresponding author, Professor Nicholas Casewell, Head of the Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: “Snakebites remain the deadliest of the neglected tropical diseases, with its burden landing overwhelmingly on rural communities in low- and middle-income countries. “Our findings are exciting because current antivenoms are largely ineffective against severe local envenoming, which involves painful progressive swelling, blistering and/or tissue necrosis around the bite site. This can lead to loss of limb function, amputation and lifelong disability.” Snakebites kill up to 138,000 people a year, with 400,000 more experiencing long-term consequences of the bite. While the number affected by cobras is unclear, in some parts of India and Africa, cobra species account for most snakebite incidents. Snakebites kill up to 138,000 people a year The World Health Organization has identified snakebite as a priority in its program for tackling neglected tropical diseases. It has announced an ambitious goal of reducing the global burden of snakebite in half by 2030. Professor Neely said: “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.” Working in the Dr John and Anne Chong Laboratory for Functional Genomics at the Charles Perkins Centre, Professor Neely’s team takes a systematic approach to finding drugs to treat deadly or painful venoms. It does this using CRISPR to identify the genetic targets used by a venom or toxin inside humans and other mammals. It then uses this knowledge to design ways to block this interaction and ideally protect people from the deadly actions of these venoms. This approach was used to identify an antidote to box jellyfish venom by the team in 2019. Professor Casewell leads the Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). The centre has conducted a diverse portfolio of research activities to better understand the biology of snake venoms and improve the efficacy, safety and affordability of antivenom treatment for tropical snakebite victims for more than 50 years. It boasts some of the world’s leading snakebite experts and has access to LSTM’s herpetarium, the largest and most diverse collection of tropical venomous snakes in the UK. RESEARCH Du, T. et al, ‘Molecular dissection of cobra venom highlights heparinoids as an effective snakebite antidote’. (Science Translational Medicine, 2024) DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adk4802 JOURNAL Science Translational Medicine ARTICLE TITLE Molecular dissection of cobra venom highlights heparinoids as an effective snakebite antidote ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE 17-Jul-2024 To read the original article click here.

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New Technology Restores Sense of Touch to Damaged Nerves

AHA Publisher — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 07:06:18 +0000

Nicky Blackburn via Israel21c – A groundbreaking technology that can restore the sense of touch to nerves damaged as a result of amputation or injury has been developed by a team of scientists in Israel. The technology, developed at Tel Aviv University and tested so far only in animals, involves a tiny sensor implanted in the nerve of the injured limb, and connected directly to a healthy nerve. Every time the limb touches an object, the sensor – which does not require electricity, wires or batteries — is activated and conducts an electric current to the functioning nerve, recreating the sense of touch. “Loss of sensation can result from a very wide range of injuries, from minor wounds – like someone chopping a salad and accidentally cutting himself with the knife – to very serious injuries,” said Ben Maoz from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, and one of the leaders of the research. Work on the sensor began after a chance meeting between Maoz and a surgeon, Dr. Amir Arami, from the Sackler School of Medicine and the Microsurgery Unit in the Department of Hand Surgery at Sheba Medical Center. “We were talking about the challenges we face in our work and Dr. Arami shared with me the difficulty he experiences in treating people who have lost tactile sensation in one organ or another as a result of injury,” said Maoz. “Even if the wound can be healed and the injured nerve can be sutured, in many cases the sense of touch remains damaged. People lacking tactile sensation cannot feel if their finger is being crushed, burned or frozen.” “We decided to tackle this challenge together, and find a solution that will restore tactile sensation to those who have lost it,” he added. The researchers, working with a team of five other scientists, developed a sensor that can be implanted on a damaged nerve under the tip of the finger and connected to another nerve that functions properly. The device consists of two tiny plates less than half a centimeter by half a centimeter in size. When these plates come into contact with each other, they release an electric charge that is transmitted to the undamaged nerve. A Normal Sensation of Touch When the injured finger touches something, the touch releases tension corresponding to the pressure applied to the device – weak tension for a weak touch and strong tension for a strong touch – just like in a normal sense of touch. Unlike existing technologies that use sensors to replace damaged nerves, batteries and electricity are not required to power the new sensor, the scientists explained, as it works on frictional force – whenever the device senses friction, it charges itself. The device can be implanted in a simple process anywhere in the body where tactile sensation needs to be restored, and bypasses damaged sensory organs. It is developed from biocompatible material that is safe to use in the human body, does not require maintenance and is not visible externally. “We tested our device on animal models, and the results were very encouraging,” said Maoz, adding that the team will continue animal trials before they move to clinical trials. “At a later stage [we will] implant our sensors in the fingers of people who have lost the ability to sense touch. Restoring this ability can significantly improve people’s functioning and quality of life, and more importantly, protect them from danger.” The study was published in the journal ACS Nano. Other scientists involved in the sensor development include Iftach Shlomy, Shay Divald, and Yael Leichtmann-Bardoogo from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, and Keshet Tadmor from the Sagol School of Neuroscience. To read the original article click here. For more information from Israel21c click here.

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amputation or injury Archives - Amazing Health Advances

New Antidote for Cobra Bites Discovered

New Technology Restores Sense of Touch to Damaged Nerves