Snakebite envenoming (SBE) is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) crisis lacking in effective therapies.
This project will assess whether laboratory grown organoids, derived from snake venom gland stem cells, accurately recapitulate the toxin composition of snake venoms. Subsequently, organoid-derived secretions will be evaluated on their potential to produce antibodies that neutralise venom in a manner comparable to conventional snakebite treatments (antivenom).
Should findings from this pilot study yield positive results, future work will enable genetic manipulation of organoid cell lines to produce diverse, pathogenic, toxins for the generation of tailor-made antivenoms to address the current snakebite crisis.