• Lath@kbin.social
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    4 months ago

    Hold up. I thought there are different kinds of snake venom that cause separate types of chemical reactions. How can a universal antidote be made when the venoms target different stuff in a victim’s body?

    • TwigletSparkle@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      4 months ago

      I did a quick read of the article, and it uses antibodies that target the venom rather than directly protecting the bodys cells.

      “This antibody works against one of the major toxins found across numerous snake species that contribute to tens of thousands of deaths every year,” says senior author Joseph Jardine, PhD, assistant professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research

    • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 months ago

      Says that it would protect against snake bites from cobras and mambas, but not vipers. The technology existing however will make it a lot easier to find which antibodies work against viper venom.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      The idea is that the antibody allows you immune system to attack the venom and destroy it before it does too much damage.