Harnessing COVID-19 Vaccine Tech to Neutralize Snake Venom

Researchers from the University of Reading and Technical University of Denmark have developed a treatment using COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology to combat local tissue damage from snakebites. Traditional antivenoms neutralize toxins in the bloodstream but fail to protect muscle tissue around bite sites where permanent damage occurs. The new approach wraps mRNA in lipid nanoparticles that enter cells and trigger antibody production against venom toxins, successfully protecting muscle tissue in mice and human cell cultures from lancehead viper venom.