To produce antivenom, researchers milk snakes for venom (bottom) and inject small amounts of it into large animals like horses, camels (top), and sheep over a course of several months.

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Andreas Laustsen develops fully human recombinant antibodies as a safer and more effective treatment for snakebite compared to traditional animal-derived antivenoms.

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Andreas Laustsen, an antivenom researcher at the Technical University of Denmark, pipets liquid into a flask.

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Traditional antivenoms are made by immunizing animals like horses with snake venom. The animal produces antibodies against the individual toxins found in snake venom. These animal-derived antibodies can be used to treat humans bitten by snakes, but because they come from animals, the human immune system can react to these as foreign proteins. Scientists are developing new, safer approaches to treating venomous snakebite such as chimeric human-animal antibodies, human monoclonal antibodies, camel antibodies, and small molecule toxin inhibitors.

A cream-colored snake with a black tongue is shown against a green background.

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A group of camels stands together in the desert.

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A snake with bright yellow scales bares its fangs against a dark background.

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Traditional snakebite antivenom relies on a century-old technology. To find safer and more effective treatments for one of the world&rsquo;s most neglected tropical diseases, scientists are designing new therapies, ranging from camel nanobodies to human recombinant antibodies and small molecule drugs.

Snakebite antivenoms step into the future

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Snakebite antivenoms step into the future

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