Project title: Defining the pathophysiology of venom-induced chronic wounds in the Brazilian Amazon to better inform therapeutic approaches for the treatment of snakebite victims.
The Brazilian Amazon is a snakebite hotspot, with ~45 envenomings per 100,000 people. 80-90% of bites are attributed to the Common Lancehead, Bothrops atrox. This snake species causes extensive tissue damage, which can result in permanent disability. One complication is chronic wounds, which, despite the devastating impact they can have on victims’ lives, remain poorly researched largely due to the lack of an appropriate preclinical model.
This project will utilise a recently described animal model that accurately recapitulates human wound healing to characterise snakebite wounds and to better understand the efficacy of antivenom in the context of snakebite morbidity.