Emer Gerrard | Staff Writer
A group of researchers, led by Trinity-based scientist Dr. Stephen P. Samuel, claim to have made a significant step towards creating a universal antidote for snakebites, which affects an estimated 5 million people globally every year.
Dr Samuel explained: “This is the first promising step towards development of a universal antidote for snake bites.”
By using a nasal spray version of the common hospital drug neostigmine, the team believe they have found a method of providing a fast, straight-forward and cost-effective way of administering treatment to victims.
The team conducted their experiments on mice, injecting them with high doses of Indian cobra venom before treating some with the drug.
However, the team have also trialled using human volunteers.
After paralysing a healthy volunteer by using a toxic which mimics the effect of cobra venom, the scientists administered the nasal spray and found that the patient recovered within 20 minutes.
The issue of snakebites is particularly prominent in India where snakes kill approximately a third as many people as AIDS.
The vast majority of snakebite victims live in impoverished, rural areas with limited access to treatment.
Even for those who do manage to receive medical attention, the expensive cost frequently pushes them towards economic ruin, with devastating outcomes for victims’ families including children having to be taken out of school and up to 12 years income worth of debt being incurred.
According to Dr. Lewin, who is leading the team of researchers along with Dr. Samuel, “funding and innovation” in the search for snakebite cures has been “lacking” due to the fact that “ninety-eight percent of snakebite victims live in poverty”.
The team hope that this development will increase the time victims have to reach the hospital while reducing the cost of treatment, in turn making a “profound difference in the health of millions”.
