Press/Media: Research
News article about our 2024 PNAS spitting cobra paper.
| Title | Found: Treatment for Spitting Cobra Venom |
|---|---|
| Degree of recognition | International |
| Media name/outlet | Explorer's Web |
| Primary Media type | Web |
| Country/Territory | Canada |
| Date | 15/05/24 |
| Description | The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine announced that a drug called varespladib could be repurposed to treat spitting cobra bites. Standard antivenom treatments are ineffective at handling the severe tissue damage from this highly potent venom. Often bitten areas must be excised and limbs amputated. Spitting cobra venom is cytoxic, meaning destructive to tissue cells, while other cobra venoms are neurotoxic (harmful to nerves) or cardiotoxic (harmful to the muscles and electrical impulses which govern the heart). But in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers believe they’ve found a way forward. |
| Producer/Author | Andrew Marshall |
| Persons | Steve Hall |