new proteins designed to neutralize venom

Between 1.8 and 2.7 million people are bitten by a venomous snake worldwide each year, according to the WHO. These incidents cause around 100,000 deaths, and three times as many permanent disabilities, including loss of limbs.

Currently, to try to save victims of these dangerous animals, doctors rely on antivenoms derived from the beast’s plasma. However, this treatment is expensive and not very effective.

Researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Technical University of Denmark have developed a new method to combat snake venom. With the help of artificial intelligence, they designed new proteins that bind to and neutralize the toxins of deadly cobras.

Snake venom: a survival rate between 80 and 100%

For this study presented in the journal Nature On January 15, 2025, researchers focused on a protein found in snake venom called Three Finger Toxin (TFT). The latter is often the cause of the poor success of current antivenoms.

Scientists have used AI to generate molecules that can combat lethal doses of three-fingered toxins. Tests carried out on mice showed that the proteins thus created offered a survival rate of 80% to 100%, depending on the dose of venom injected and the formula of the molecule created.

The team specifies, however, that these new proteins, imagined using AI, will support traditional antivenoms, and not as a replacement.

“New computer-designed antitoxins could initially become supplements or fortifying agents that would improve the effectiveness of existing treatments until next-generation standalone therapies are approved”specify the authors in a press release.

Antivenom and AI: a safer and less expensive alternative

These antivenom proteins, designed with the help of new technologies, will simplify and improve the treatment of venomous snake bites.

“I think the protein design will help make snakebite treatments more accessible to people in developing countries. The antitoxins we created are easy to detect using only computational methods. They are also inexpensive to produced and robust during laboratory tests”underlines the main author of the study, Susana Vazquez.

In addition, this new method of creating proteins could also be used in other medical fields such as the design of drugs against viral infections. “Beyond treating snakebites, protein design will help simplify drug discovery, especially in resource-constrained settings. By reducing costs and resource requirements for powerful new drugs, we make considerable progress towards a future where everyone can get the treatment they deserve”concludes the expert.